How To Survive A TV Show For Dummies
by AYoungLazyWriter
Summary: Zoe will quickly learn the dangers that come with knowing too much about a show and then ending up in said show. As she struggles to decide whether she should tell the boys of the boys what she know, Heaven and Hell determine whether she will be useful to them or not. Her knowledge of the show might even prove dangerous for Heaven's plans to go through with the Apocalypse.(Rewrite)
1. Wibbly Wobbly Spacey Wacey

**Hello everyone! Welcome to How to Survive A TV Show for Dummies! This Fic has been updated many times but this is the last time it will be rewritten. This fic will go through all of Season four and Five. Depending on how I'm feeling, it will also go through the rest of the seasons but I'm not sure. The first chapter will be similar to the previous show. There a few differences in this fic. I will not be writing in Gabriel. He will appear when appears on the show.**

 **This fic will also be updated on AO3. I hope you all enjoy and possibly check out a Young Justice Fic of mine, The Gamemaster.**

 **Hope y'all enjoy and tell me what you think**

 **EDIT:Apparently I missed a teenager during my proof read. Has been fixed. Sorry Guest!**

* * *

It started when Zoe realized her fridge was empty. Well empty of anything edible. Her girlfriend, Deidre, had bought her a salad earlier that day for her to eat.

"To eat some proper vegetables," she'd said.

Zoe had stuck her tongue at her and stuck the salad at the very back of the fridge. Deidre had left to visit her mother that day, and wouldn't come back until later that week. Unfortunately, she hadn't gone grocery shopping, none of them have. Zoe stared at the plastic container, the salad staring back at her expectantly. She wrinkled her nose at it, and sighed, reaching into the fridge and pulling it. There was a cup filled with ranch dressing.

Continuing to look disgusted, Zoe poured the ranch dressing over the salad, mixed it, and took a bite. At the first bite, she gagged at the taste. Her taste buds disgusted with the taste of the salad and the dressing. But Zoe was hungry, and she was going to prove to Deidre that she could eat vegetables. She was going to finish this salad even if it killed her dammit!

When bad shit started to happen, Zoe later realized that the salad might have been the cause. After all, there's a reason food that's green isn't to be trusted.

When her computer froze, Zoe ignored it. This was an all too common occurrence for her. and she would have continued on with her life had her television not turned on. By itself.

A month of Supernatural marathons came flooding back, and for once, Zoe regretted watching the show. Why else would she think she's the first five minutes of an episode? Those never ended well.

"Please don't let it be a ghost," she prayed once the lights began flickering.

The only person Zoe could think of that could reasonably haunt the place was the previous owner of the house, her neighbor; an elderly religious woman who died of a heart attack five years ago. Zoe knew the old lady well. Zoe's dog used to always follow her around looking for treats. The lady was a sweetheart and she died peacefully. No violent deaths happened in the house, that she knew of at least. Perhaps a poltergeist? Those always made their presence known with little stuff before moving into big things.

Zoe decided to not take any chances and made a beeline towards the kitchen. If it was a ghost, salt would help her.

By the time Zoe had finished the circle, the house had started to tremble. Had Zoe lived in an earthquake prone area she would have breathed a sigh of relief, but she didn't live in an earthquake prone area. She lived in Texas. There weren't any earthquakes in Texas.

Reaching for her phone and dialing 911, Zoe prayed the house wouldn't come crashing on top of her.

A bright light poured into the house, growing brighter, and a high-pitched sound, almost like a whine, grew louder and louder until Zoe covered her ears in a vain attempt to shut it out. She could see the bright light through her closed eyes, and the whine continued to grow louder.

And then it stopped.

The cool breeze on her skin and cold asphalt beneath her feet made her wonder if help had come. Perhaps someone had broken in and rushed her out. Zoe opened her eyes, expecting to see her house in shambles, but instead opened it to the sight of an open road. Tall trees towered over her, tall dark and formidable.

This wasn't her home. Or Texas. It felt wrong. Everything felt wrong, like putting on someone's clothes but they were a little too tight. Zoe looked around, hoping to see the bright lights of an approaching.

She heard her before she saw her. Her heart raced as she ran down the street towards the sound, the beautiful sound that sounded so familiar to her and yet she couldn't place it. A black car approached her, headlights shining as it came towards her at full speed. The driver slammed on the breaks and spun the wheel furiously to avoid hitting her. The driver finally managed to park at the side of the road. Zoe ran towards the car, wondering how she was going to explain this. Runaway? Kidnapping? Kidnapping seemed more accurate.

"Oh God, are you okay?"

Zoe froze in her tracks.

The driver opened the door to the Impala, and ran towards her. Zoe still did not react. Instead she stared at the Impala with wide eyes.

This was the car. This car, this beautiful black car that stopped in front of her, it's lights painfully bright in the night sky, was the car. The only car she knew well enough to recognize on sigh.

"Baby," she breathed.

The black 67 Chevy Impala stood before her, in all it's beautiful glory. Her breath caught as her eyes glided over the shining hood before settling on the man in front of her, who watched her with concern and worry.

Zoe's mind reeled before slowing to a stop. Her voice caught in her throat as she stared at the driver, unable to respond.

San Winchester. Sam fucking Winchester stood in front of her looking as if he was worried she was going to collapse.

She was screwed. She was completely, and majorly, screwed.

There weren't any cameras. She couldn't see anyone or anything in the street apart from her and Sam Winchester and Baby.

In Zoe's defense, she tried not to panic. Key word: Tried. Her heart was hammering away at her chest, her stomach had tightened itself into a knot and her throat wasn't working. She wasn't surprised then, resigned mostly, when she realized she couldn't hold them properly.

She was stuck in a world with monsters. Real monsters.

"Shit," Zoe finally managed to say as she took a step back from Sam and the car. "Shitshitshitshitshitshit." She brought her hands to her head, continuing to curse and mutter, "This isn't fucking possible. It's not fuckin…. shit…. I'm screwed. I'm fucked. Oh God. I'm so fucked."

"Hey," Sam said trying to calm her down. "You okay? Do you want me to drive you to a phone or something?"

Zoe turned to him and shook her head. No, Sam. Zoe wasn't okay. She was far from okay.

"How do you know my name?"

Shit did she say that out loud? One look at Sam said that she did. Zoe cursed, and took a shaking breath, trying to calm down.

"Where did you get that shirt?" Sam asked.

Whoop. There it was. Zoe stopped to look at Sam, gauging his mood.

He sounded calm, but she could tell that he was anything but calm. Scary calm. The kind of calm where it's so bad they can't be anything but calm. It was the calm that was associated with parents when the child in question fucked up so badly, they have no words.

Zoe didn't have a death wish, in fact she had a life wish. She wanted to live long enough to meet Jared Padalecki and Richard Speight and the rest of the Supernatural cast. She wanted to travel the world and marry a rich man and not have to worry about money. Zoe Martinez did not want to die at the hands of a giant Moose Man.

"Internet," she stammered.

Let it be known that the show wasn't kidding when it came to how big Sam Winchester was. This could have had something to do with Zoe's own height of five foot two, but as far as she was concerned there was a suspicious moose in front of her, and the Canadians on Tumblr always warned against suspicious moose and moose men.

Said man raised an eyebrow, unconvinced, "The internet."

Well technically she got it from Jared Padalecki, but that's irrelevant. Zoe wondered if this would have gone better if she had just worn her Avengers t-shirt, but knowing her luck she'd only ended up in the Avengers' world, probably smack dab in the helicarrier. Zoe doubted Nick Fury would appreciate having his face on the back of some girl's shirt.

"And the internet just happens to sell shirts with my face on it?"

It's a free country. And technically it was Jared Padalecki. Wait...did she say that aloud? Judging by Sam's reaction? Yes. Yes, she did. Wonderful.

"Who are you?"

"Zoe Martinez."

"Zoe," Sam repeated, "why do you have that shirt?"

Very interesting question, Sammy boy. She had just been wondering the same thing, along with what her purpose in life was. As she tried to come up for an answer

Never before had Zoe been more glad to have met Sam Winchester first. She had the feeling Dean would have held her at knife point.

"C-Can we discuss this when we're not out in the open?" Zoe asked, suddenly feeling very small.

Her agoraphobia was not helping things. Zoe closed her eyes, counting to ten. She could be calm in front of Sam. She could do this. Even if she was in a dark creepy forest in the middle of God-knows were.

Sam walked her towards the trunk of the impala and pulled out a water bottle and a knife. He was going to test her.

"Well Zoe, before I go anywhere with you," Sam said, "I need to make sure you're not going to kill me the first chance you get."

"I'm five foot two," Zoe said eyeing the knife. "I wouldn't be able to hurt you even if I tried."

"You'd be surprised," Sam said before taking her arm and making a cut with the silver knife. Zoe winced at the pain, but Sam seemed satisfied with the result and cleaned the cut with water (Zoe later learned that was holy water).

Satisfied she wasn't a monster, Sam allowed her into the car. He even wrapped her arm in a bandage, and apologized. Zoe had to marvel at the change in character with Sam when he realized she wasn't out to kill him. He was still suspicious of her, and she didn't blame him.

They got into a car, and Zoe took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

""I'm from another world," Zoe said, praying to whatever deity (read: Gabriel, patron saint of communication) out there who gave two shits about humanity that Sam would believe her, "I'm twenty years old. I-I got the shirt on a website. One of the actors f-from the show, he had a campaign going and was selling these shirts so I got one."

She breathed, wincing at her stuttering.

"Show?" Sam asked.

He had understood that nonsense? Half the time her own mother didn't understand her. Deidre struggled to understand her at times. The trembling lips didn't help either, and yet Sam somehow understood her babbling. He really was a cinnamon roll, she determined. Too good for this world. Too pure.

"Supernatural," she answered, "And it's about you and your brother, Dean Winchester, driving around the country killing monsters and saving the world and so far it's twelve seasons and right now we, that is the fans and I, are in hiatus waiting for the next season and I'm not some evil creature just a twenty year old who wanted to watch Doctor Who and who got kidnapped from her house, and got dumped into a TV show where demons aren't the scariest thing out there and I'm alone here and you can leave me at a some hotel. I don't care, but please don't kill me."

And she was crying. Wonderful. Pull yourself together, Zoe, you're embarrassing both you and Sam. Nope. She still cried.

Fortunately, Sam didn't kill her. Instead, he gave her an awkward pat on the shoulder before turning his eyes back on the road. Zoe found herself wondering how Dean would react. Maybe he'd be nicer, or he'd shoot her or leave her alone to fend for herself or-

Zoe mentally slapped herself. No. She had to calm down before she went into full on panic mode. She couldn't just freak out over the slightest thing, even if she now lived in the world of monsters where the thing that goes bump in the night is very real.

And this was real. The stinging on her arm where Sam had tested her with his knife confirmed that.

Real, she thought as she looked around the cheap motel room. All of the weapons were hidden safely beneath the beds, away from nosy cleaning ladies. The table Sam was using was covered with newspaper articles and missing persons reports. Demon signs, she thought. Sam was tracking demons.

There hadn't been any sign of Dean. When Sam drove them to the motel, there hadn't been any sign of Dean in the car or the motel. Not just that, Sam was young. Too young to be season twelve Sam. Season four if Dean was missing and Sam was tracking demons.

"Listen, Zoe," Sam said pulling her out of the train wreck that were her thoughts, "I'm going to try and get you back home, but I've never heard of any spell that can do this. I've sent out a few calls to some people I know. Maybe they'll have an answer."

Zoe nodded. Figures she'd be stuck here. Maybe if she was lucky she'd live to season six and she'd end up back home. She could always make a deal with Rafael when the time came, but then again Rafael was a bit of a dick in season six.

"You hungry?" Sam asked. "I can order us some pizza or something."

Zoe shrugged, "Sure. I guess."

Sam?" a familiar voice asked, causing Zoe to jump.

Ruby.

"Ruby," Sam greeted.

Yes. Definitely pre-season four.

The demon turned to Zoe with a frown, causing the girl to shrink back into the couch. No way was she getting near that demon nor letting said demon come near her.

"This the girl you found?" Ruby asked.

Sam must have nodded because Ruby approached, only for Zoe to scramble away from her, raising her hand to stop Ruby from advancing. Not that it would have done her much good.

"Don't come near me," she said, breathing heavily.

Ruby tilted her head confused and said gently, "I'm not going to hurt you."

Zoe couldn't hold back a laugh as she somehow managed to put the chair between her and Ruby. The demon who betrayed Sam, got him addicted to demon blood, and practically gave him to Lucifer. Ruby may have been her favorite character before, but after season 4, any respect she had for her was gone. Poor Sam had been let down by too many people.

Ruby looked to Sam for help who turned to Zoe who had now seated herself in the chair farthest from Ruby.

If anything, Zoe wanted Meg, or rather, post season five Meg. Meg was nice. Meg cared. Meg worked at a mental institution and had to help other humans in order to keep an eye on Castiel.

Ruby did not. Ruby manipulated. Ruby betrayed and laughed. At least Meg was upfront about her intentions.

Even Crowley seemed a better choice right now. He liked the boys. Eventually.

"She's not going to hurt you," Sam assured.

"She's a demon!" Zoe cried out, "There's two demons out of the entire show that I like and neither of them include her!"

Ruby raised an eyebrow, "Show?"

"Supernatural," Zoe said looking at Sam, "Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester. It came out since 2005 and it's still going strong."

"Never heard of it," Ruby said.

"Wibbly Wobbly Spacey Wacey," Zoe said, aware that her nails were digging into the wood on the chair. Ruby raised a confused eyebrow, looking at an equally confused Sam. Zoe sighed, wondering where this new courage to sass Ruby came, "I'm from another reality. And you're played by Genevieve Cortese, Jared's wife."

"And according to this show," Ruby said, "Who am I?"

A traitor.

"Ruby," Zoe said, noting that any bravado she had previously had was failing her, "You sold your soul to this demon in sixteen o' something in exchange for witchcraft. You were among the demons who got out of the hell gate and you've been helping Sam with his powers by providing him with demon blood."

Both demon and hunter were surprised, to say the least, though Ruby didn't show it much, simply narrowed her eyes. Zoe gulped and stepped behind Sam.

"And why don't you trust me?" Ruby asked.

Well lady, you hand Sam over to his Royal Brattiness. Zoe liked Lucifer, but the last thing she wanted was to meet the man himself, but she couldn't mess with time and she couldn't say anything about Lucifer.

"I just don't," Zoe said at last.

Ruby's eyes bore into her, but Zoe held her ground, locking her jaw to prevent herself from trembling. She could feel tears building up and the choked sob in her throat, but no. She was not going to cry, least of all in front of Ruby.

Both Sam and Ruby went to the hallway to talk, no doubt about what they were going to do with her, and as much as Zoe would have wanted to eavesdrop, she was more focused on not crying. She wiped her eyes with her shirt and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down. She heard the door lock and Sam walk away.

Great. At this point, Zoe had brought her knees up to her chest while she cried against the wall. She just wanted to go home.

The show was great, yes, but that didn't mean she wanted to live in it. Perhaps she could pray to Gabriel? No, the archangel wouldn't answer since Zoe was positive most angels muted out prayers. Castiel? He'd only make things worse especially if he tells his superiors like the good little soldier he is. Crowley? Fat chance. Cain? No way.

She was stuck here with only Sam Winchester for company.

And somehow, that made her feel a bit better.

Sam didn't return until an hour later, in his hand a bag of clothes and a box. Zoe had returned to the chair, leaving Sam's things untouched though she was itching to read John's journal, but as mentioned before, she did not have a death wish.

Sam was grieving and if he caught with the journal, Zoe feared he'd kick her out and she didn't want to take that risk.

He tossed her the bag before he took out his laptop. Zoe glanced at Sam before peering into the bag finding a few pairs of clothes, and inside the box a pair of shoes. The shoes were a bit too big, but whoever picked them out made a good estimate. As a rule, Zoe wore shoes that were a little too big for her so these worked out just fine. The clothes consisted of a few shirts, some pants, socks, underwear (chosen by Ruby no doubt since Zoe doubted Sam was that good at guessing bra sizes), and a sweater. Did this mean she could stay?

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem," Sam said. "Ruby figured it'd be better if you stayed. Demons would be able to tell you're not from around here from a mile away."

"I can see why," Zoe said, hugging herself. "Everything feels wrong. It's…It's suffocating."

"Once we get my brother back we can find a way to get you home, okay?" Sam said. "I promise."

"Thanks Sam," Zoe said, smiling.

"No problem," Sam said, typing into his laptop.

Zoe dared stand behind him and look over his shoulder to see what he was doing. Research on the show, of course he failed since the actors didn't exist in that world and by some act of God, or Chuck, the books didn't appear on the search engine. Zoe mentally thanked Chuck hoping the prophet heard her since the books would have been harder to explain. Of course, the search engine gave him a few links to shows pertaining to supernatural beings, some show called Hell Hazers or something, but neither seemed to revolve around Sam or his brother.

To further prove her claim, Zoe showed Sam the images she had downloaded from Tumblr, screen shots of posts, one post involving Jess that he appreciated and gifs though Zoe took care with what she showed him. She didn't want to spoil anything.

She went to bed before Sam did, but she couldn't sleep. She was exhausted, but her mind was racing, a million thoughts firing away. How was she going to get back home? To Deidre? She left Deidre back home, and now her girlfriend was going to arrive to an empty house. How was she going to explain it to her if she got back? Hey, babe, sorry I couldn't call. I was stuck on an alternate dimension with Sam fucking Winchester.

Like that was going to go over well.

Sam was still on his computer when Zoe was finally tired.

* * *

When Zoe woke up the next day, she groaned, shifting slightly on her bed, groaning as the sun poked through the window. Whose bright idea was it to open the curtains all the way? Didn't Deidre know that on Sundays she didn't wake up until ten? Zoe searched blindly for her pillow pet – originally her youngest sister's until she took it – but didn't find it. Must have fallen during the night. Ah well. What time was it, anyway?

She turned her head, and opened her eyes, wincing slightly at the bright sun, and felt for her glasses. Once her vision was clear enough, Zoe realized that she was not in her room, and the events of the previous flooded back, causing her sink back into her. Would she ever get back? And more importantly, would she return at the same time she left? She would have no answers for Deidre if she came back years later.

The sound of the door opening snapped her back to reality, her attention turning to the visitor, tensing in case it was a stranger. In a flash of panic, Zoe realized she didn't know Sam's number, but thankfully it was only Sam, holding a brown paper bag.

"Morning," he greeted.

She accepted the food, breakfast tacos, with a quiet thank you while Sam pulled up a chair and ate his own breakfast.

"Sleep well?"

No Sammy. She cried herself to sleep. Is that considered sleeping well with you? She nodded, simply because it was easier. Sam didn't need to know what went on in her head.

Eggs and ham. Her mom always made those in the morning, even when Zoe told her she was getting tired of the same thing. Eggs and some form of meat. Those always made a good breakfast.

"Hey," Sam said, bringing her back from her thoughts, "You okay?"

For a moment, one brief moment she wanted to say no.

"Yeah," she nodded, mustering up enough energy for a smile.

Sam, the more perceptive of the Winchesters, didn't believe her but he let it slide.

"So, tell me about yourself, Zoe," he said, "Got any hobbies?"

"I run, well, ran a blog on Tumblr," she corrected studying her taco.

Oh really?" asked Sam with interest, "What about?"

"The show," she said taking a bite of the taco, "I'd just reblog stuff from other places. Sometimes I'd make gifs. Or photo sets. You and the Trickster are my favorites. And this one character named Samandriel, but he doesn't show up until later in the show. Season eight I think. This is season four, so in five years."

Sam nodded, "Samandriel. Is he a hunter or-?"

Zoe shrugged, "Ally."

Sam looked like he wanted to ask more, but something told him Zoe wasn't going to tell him anymore about who Samandriel was, and Zoe wanted to keep it that way. It was too early in the show to reveal anything about angels.

"What about your parents?" he asked, "Do they watch the show?"

Zoe shook her head, scoffing, "I think my mom was close to shipping me off to a religious retreat. My dad doesn't care. He watches it occasionally, but he's not a fan. My sister's the only other one who watches it, but she's only up to season five and the rest are too young to watch it."

"Were you close to them?" Sam guessed.

She nodded. Hell, she loved them, and missed them. Even her annoying brother who got on her nerves or her sisters who never knew when to shut up or her sister who despite their fights, was always willing to listen. Of course, they became more distant when she started dating Deidre.

All she wanted was to go home. She'd die here especially if Sam just decides to leave her somewhere to live a semi-normal life. Dean would probably not like her. Hell, they'd probably dump her with Bobby or something.

"I guess," Zoe said. "After Deidre and I started dating, we didn't talk as much. Mom tries, but Dad…I mean…we're Mexican. We're supposed to find a nice guy and have kids." She shook her head, "He just stopped talking to me altogether."

And then Sam was hugging her. Zoe hadn't realized she'd been crying, but she decided she didn't care because it got her moose hugs, and allowed Sam to comfort her, who murmured reassuring words while rubbing circles on her back while she cried into his shirt. Great. Now she stained his shirt with tears and snot, but he didn't seem to care so she supposed it was alright.

"Just hang in there, alright?" he said, "Everything's going to be alright. Once Dean comes back, we'll find a way to get you home."

Oh Sammy.

They left town that day. Sam heard about some demons who'd probably know about Lilith, not that Zoe would be joining him on the actual interrogation since she'd just be a liability. During the ride, Sam asked her about life in another world, about the show, her family, her interests. Zoe answered as much as she could about the show without revealing anything important about the future, and if Sam asked to much she'd just keep her mouth shut and not say anything until he changed the subject. But when it came to Dean coming back, Zoe assured him that Dean would come back.

"Winchesters never stay dead," she told him.

Sam left Zoe at the motel room most of the time, sometimes asking her to look up something for him. This became their routine when Sam found a hunt or tracked down some demons, though that didn't mean Zoe spent her time doing nothing while she waited for Sam to return. She passed the time reading John's journal, sometimes asking Sam about certain creatures, or she'd spend her time on Sam's laptop watching videos or surfing the internet. Sam came back with food, healthy things most of the time, and at Zoe's request taught her basic self-defense should something happen to her and he wasn't near. Zoe learned how to stitch up wounds fairly quickly since Sam often came home injured. When they had time to kill, he taught her to shoot.

Ruby dropped by often, and Zoe would often ignore her and go to another room, usually to another room, with the journal or Sam's laptop. Sometimes when Sam sent her on errands, he'd call her in advance to tell her Ruby was in the motel room. That's what Zoe liked about Sam. He understood why she didn't trust Ruby on the basis that she was a demon, and he didn't trust Ruby enough to leave her alone with Zoe, so that was a plus.

They grew close, and Zoe grew comfortable enough to consider Sam as a sort of big brother, though he didn't take her on any hunts, but was always willing to tell her what happened to satisfy her curiosity. Of course, it took time for Zoe to open up enough for Sam, and be willing enough to answer his questions with more emotion. First few days she'd cry, or try not to cry usually, and Sam knowing how she felt, simply held her, using his experience from Dean to calm her down. And then she wouldn't talk for days, unless Sam spoke to her, but even then, she wouldn't say much. It took time, and by September, almost three months since Zoe arrived, she felt much more comfortable, sometimes joking with Sam, or asking him about theories the fans had, and whether there was any truth to them.

They avoided the topic of Dean, though. Zoe had often watched from the seat of the impala as Sam tried to open the Devil's Gates, and fail, and then summon various crossroad demons trying to strike a deal to break Dean out of hell, only to be turned down. They didn't speak to each other on those days, and Zoe didn't press him. Sam seemed to think that he'd be the one to bust Dean out, and Zoe had seen too many episodes and spent too much time with Sam to get in his way. He was too keen on tracking down Lilith and at times it scared her.

Sometimes he'd ask her about the show. Demand answers for things she couldn't, or rather wouldn't answer. Those days they ignored each other, but Sam learned quickly. He stopped asking her about it about a month later.

And all was good between the two.

Until Dean came back.


	2. Lazarus needs coffee before he rises

Chapter 2

 _HellRaiser69: Here's a picture I took of my house. You can clearly see the ghost in the window. So creepy!_

 _SPN_Zee: This again? I checked the history of your house. There haven't been any violent deaths in your house to suggest a haunting. Besides I already proved your photographs are fake. And I'll prove it again, given your poor photoshop skills._

Zoe attached her copy of the photograph where she pointed out the photoshop while adding photographs of actual ghosts.

 _SPN_Zee: Additionally, if there's no EMF then there's no ghost. That's rule number one of any ghost. So unless you provide evidence of EMF, you're nothing more than a lying prat looking for attention—_

"Wow. You're really tearing him a new one," Sam said coming up from behind.

"He deserves it," Zoe said.

"Right. You know he could be right and have a ghost haunting him," Sam said.

"Unless he provides me with actual proof rather than photoshop," Zoe said, "I'll continue to tear him down. Besides, Harry and Ed already backed me up on this. They even went to check out the guy's house but they couldn't find anything." She turned to Sam, and said, "Do you need anything?"

"Yeah, can I have my laptop back?" Sam asked.

"Is Ruby gone?" Zoe asked.

Sam sighed, "Can't you two just get along? She's not all bad."

"She a manipulative liar, Sam," Zoe said. "I told you this."

"I'm still not convinced you're telling the truth," Sam said, but Zoe ignored him. "I just need to order pizza. Then you can go back to bothering people on the Ghostfacers' website."

"Can I have wings?"

"Sure."

"Awesome."

"Can you bring the pizza up to the room?" Sam asked as he placed the order and gave Zoe money for the tip.

"Sure."

Sam thanked her and left. Zoe scrolled through the comment sections of the Hell Hound's Lair's forums, looking through paranormal photographs. Receptionist at the desk was playing a loud phone game, Candy Crush by the sound of it, and it provided Zoe with some distraction as she waited for the pizza. Not a lot of people were in the lobby. A few people passed by them to their rooms, others looking for the pool. Zoe didn't pay them attention, though she continued to face the door in case the delivery man came.

The door dinged, and two men walked. One of them was a middle-aged man wearing a baseball cap. The other was a man in his late twenties with blond hair.

"Hey, we're looking for a Wedge Antilles," the blond one said.

"Look man, I'm just watching the desk for my friend," the receptionist said. "I don't have access to the computer. Sorry."

He went back to playing his game and the blond cursed. Zoe frowned, as she tried to place their faces When the blond frowned, everything clicked into place. Closing up Sam's laptop and wrapping the charged, Zoe debated approaching Dean Winchester and Bobby Singer. They could try to attack her. They could think she's lying. Then again, they could believe her.

"You looking for Sam?" she asked walking up to them.

"Excuse me?" Dean asked, frowning.

Zoe saw Bobby reach behind him, possibly for a knife or a gun, but ignored him, and said, "Well you're Dean Winchester, right?"

"What's it to you?" Bobby asked.

"I can take you Sam," Zoe offered.

"And how do you know where he is?" Dean asked, suspicious.

"Because I'm staying with him?" Zoe said. "He's got company right now so I won't promise he'll be fully clothed, but I'll take there."

Dean looked back at Bobby who shrugged.

"Alright," Dean said. "Lead the way."

Thankfully for Zoe and her nerves, their room was on the first floor and Sam was fully clothed. Unfortunately, it was Ruby who opened the door. She looked at Zoe expectantly.

"So where is it?" Ruby asked.

"Still not here," Zoe said.

"Hey has the pizza—"

Sam stopped in his tracks when he saw Dean. He looked at Zoe, then Bobby then Dean again, trying to process what was going on.

"I told you Dean would be back," Zoe said. When Sam tried to move forward, Zoe stepped in between the brothers, holding her hands up. "Sam, it's him. Trust me on this. Bobby already checked. So can we skip you trying to kill him and go straight to you hugging him?"

"But the demons—" Sam said looking at Zoe.

"I'll explain later."

Sam turned to Dean. "How? Lillith, she—"

"I know," Dean said. "I look fantastic."

Zoe placed a finger over her lip and stepped to the side. Sam looked at his brother in absolute shock. Ruby gave Sam a look of confusion, but didn't say anything. She glared at Zoe when the girl made a shooing motion at her. There was no need for the demon to be here while the brothers reconciled.

Sam took a step forward and brought his brother in for a tight hug. Zoe grinned, and took a photograph, earning her a slight glare from Bobby.

Zoe's phone buzzed. Pizza had arrived. She excused herself and went to retrieve the delicious pizza and buffalo wings. Sam and Dean had stopped hugging and where now talking. Zoe quietly slipped in and placed the pizza on the table, taking the wings with her to the couch.

"So, what did it cost?" Dean asked.

"The girl? I don't pay, Dean," Sam said.

"He thinks you sold your soul," Zoe explained.

"I don't think he sold his soul," Dean argued. "I know he sold his soul."

"Well he didn't," Zoe said. "Hell would never have willingly given you up."

"Like I should believe you," Dean said.

Zoe crossed her arms and glared, "For your information, Dean Winchester, I'm one of the reasons Sam hasn't done anything stupid."

"And who are you exactly?" Dean asked.

Before things could quickly escalate, Bobby who had remained silent, intervened and said, "Let's just hear Sam and the girl out. Maybe they're telling the truth."

Dean continued to glare at Zoe who glared back.

"Look, I tried everything," Sam admitted, "That's the truth. I tried opening the Devil's Gate ("and failed wondrously at that- OW!" Zoe rubbed her injured foot while glaring at Sam.). Hell, I tried to bargain, Dean, but no demon would deal, alright? You were rotting in Hell for months. For months, and I couldn't stop it. So, I'm sorry it wasn't me, alright? Dean, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Sammy," Dean said finally, once assured Sam wasn't lying, "You don't have to apologize, I believe you."

"Don't get me wrong," Bobby said finally speaking, "I'm glad that Sam's soul remains intact, but it does raise a sticky question."

"If he didn't pull me out, then what did?"

"Well don't look at me," Zoe said, "I like my soul. It's a very pretty soul, and I'd like to keep it that way. But," She said, reaching for a soda, "I can tell you who busted Dean out."

"Who?" Sam asked.

"Castiel," Zoe said. "He's an angel, complete with the wings and righteousness."

"An angel?" Dean repeated. "Angels aren't real."

"Actually they are," Zoe said. "They just haven't had much reason to come down to earth except to study humanity. And to kill the occasional Nephilim."

Unless you were Ishim and wanted to get revenge on a girl who freaked out and left you. Ishim was a dick. Don't be like Ishim.

"Why would angels want to bust Dean out of hell?" Bobby asked.

"Don't tell you believe her angel crap," Dean said.

"If Sam didn't bust you out," Bobby said, "then someone else did. Let's just hear her out. Maybe there's some truth to her Angel theory."

Zoe suddenly felt self-conscious as the three grown men looked at her expectantly. She blinked, realizing that yep, they were waiting for her to explain.

"Suppose I should start at the beginning," Zoe said, fidgeting with her shirt. She took a deep breath to try and relax.

"So I'm from a different reality," Zoe said. Dean scoffed, but Bobby and Sam shushed him. "Where I'm from," she continued, "You are actors. All of you. Dean's played by Jensen Ackles, Sam by Jared Padalecki, and Bobby by Jim Beaver. I haven't been up to date with the show much, but I can remember enough. Big ol' plot points."

"Like?" Dean asked.

"Dude you can't just ask her to reveal big plot points," Sam said, scandalized. "Knowing too much about your future can be dangerous."

"Or helpful," Dean argued.

Zoe sighed. "I'd rather you experience the stuff yourself, but I suppose telling you about stuff from a few seasons down the line wouldn't hurt. So in season ten, Dean makes a deal with Cain to get the First Blade and, by extension, the Mark of Cain."

"Cain?" Bobby asked. "As in—"

"Adam and Eve's kid," Zoe nodded. "He's a demon, kinda. Like a Knight of Hell. Adam hasn't shown up yet, but Eve has. She's the mother of all monsters. She's actually kinda cool, bit terrifying but cool."

"Now I know you're lying," Dean said, standing up. "I would never do anything that would turn me into a demon."

"Well you do," Zoe said, crossing her arms. "Look, I'm just telling you what happened. You take the Mark to kill a Knight of Hell named Abaddon. Course you manage to remove it by killing Death, who is a really cool guy. Despite being, you know, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Course removing the Mark has a side effect, which is that you release God's sister."

"God has a sister?" Dean asked, clearly not believing her.

"I know," Zoe said. "I didn't believe it either. Honestly, the writers are scraping the bottom of the barrel for anything past season nine. Anywho you meet God as well, but I am not going to tell you his identity because the reveal scene is amazing and I don't want to ruin it. And you make a deal with Lucifer to defeat the Darkness but he possesses Castiel. So now you gotta defeat the Darkness, and get Lucifer out of Castiel. You actually manage to get her and God to make up, and you get your Mom back."

"Our mom?" Dean asked.

"Mary Winchester, formerly Campbell of Lawrence, Kansas?" Zoe said. "And you attract these guys who are absolute dicks called the Men of Letters. And they try to recruit you, but fail then try to kill you and fail, and I think you manage to kick them out.

"Oh," Zoe said, remembering something, "And Luci's expecting a kid so yay secondary conflict."

"Luci?"

"Lucifer."

Dean blinked, trying to process Zoe's info-dump.

"Course I could tell them what you did in Hell," Zoe said, looking at Dean. "Since you don't remember and all."

The eldest Winchester looked at Zoe, wanting to argue, but didn't say anything. He knew that Zoe knew, not that Zoe planned on saying anything to Sam or Bobby, unless Dean told them himself.

"Have you tried going back?" Bobby asked after a silence.

"I'll need an angel for that," Zoe said. "I know Balthazar is familiar with the spell, and I didn't pay much attention to that episode, if I wanna be honest. I'll ask when I meet Cas."

"Castiel?" Dean guessed.

"Yup."

Bobby shook his head, and said, "On a regular day, I'd think you're just blowin' smoke out your ass, but given what's happened, I'm willing to believe it."

Dean huffed, still reluctant to believe her. Instead, he turned his attention to Sam. He reached for a bottle of beer from Sam's mini-fridge, and said, "So what were you doing around here if you weren't digging me out of my grave? And where did you find the kid?"

"Zoe," she corrected, but was ignored.

"Well," Sam began, "A little before I started hunting down Lilith, trying to get some payback-"

"All by yourself?" Bobby asked accusingly, "Who do you think you are, your old man?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm sorry, Bobby," Sam apologized, "I should have called. I was pretty messed up."

"Oh yeah. I really feel your pain," Dean said holding up a bra that didn't belong to the teenager in the room.

Zoe chuckled earning herself a Moose bitchface. She returned it with one of her own. What? It wasn't her fault Ruby couldn't keep track of her things.

"Anyways," Sam continued, "While I was looking for Lilith, I found Zoe right outside the motel I was staying at and she recognized me. At first I thought she was a demon, but she's human. So I took her to someone who confirmed that she wasn't from here.

"I let Zoe stay with me," Sam said, "Didn't take her with me on any hunts, though. And then, a couple of months after I find her, these demons I was keeping tabs on in Tennessee take a hard left, booked up here."

"When?

"Yesterday morning," Sam said.

"When I busted out," Dean nodded, running a hand down his chin.

"You think these demons are here 'cause of you?" Bobby asked.

Zoe nodded, "Indubitably."

"But why?" Sam asked.

"Angel drags Dean out," Zoe said, "Me landing her a few months before, probably by an angel, I'd like to know who it was too. Not saying I'm anything special, but someone had to have felt that kind of power especially that close in time."

"Why do you think it was an Angel?" Dean asked.

"Well first there's electronics going haywire around them," Zoe listed off. "Then there's the earth then, most importantly of all, there's a really high pitched noise which happens to be their voice. Sometimes there's this white bright light. Oh and the handprint on your arm," Zoe said pointing to the mark, "that was Castiel. You were touched by an Angel, my dude."

The look on Dean's face told her enough. He believed her, if only a little bit. After all, she wasn't there when Castiel tried to talk to him. They fell into silence, taking an occasional sip of their drink.

"How you feelin', anyway?" Bobby asked, breaking the silence and turning to Dean.

"I'm a little hungry," Dean admitted, and Zoe lifted the pizza box.

"No," Bobby said, and reiterated, "I mean, do you feel like yourself? Anything strange, or different?"

"Soul missing?" Zoe asked. When the three turned to her she shrugged, "What? It happens in the show. Season six."

Dean shook his head, "Or demonic? Bobby, how many times do I have to prove I'm me? No missing soul either."

"Yeah. Well, listen," Bobby said unconvinced, "No demon's letting you loose out of the goodness of their hearts. They've gotta have something nasty planned."

"Well, I feel fine," Dean said.

"Okay, look, we don't know what they're planning," Sam said, "We got a pile of questions and no shovel. We need help."

"I know a psychic," Bobby said, "A few hours from here. Something this big, maybe she's heard the other side talking."

"Even though I already told you guys that it was an Angel named Castiel?" Zoe asked, annoyed.

"Look kid," Bobby said, "No offense, but just because you've been trekkin' the country with Sam, it don't mean we have to believe everything you say. If Pamela says that you're telling the truth, then we'll talk."

"But—" Zoe tried to protest.

"Bobby's right," Dean said. "Let's talk to the psychic. If it really was an angel that busted me out, then we'll know we can trust you."

When they all agreed, and by all agreed everyone except Zoe, Bobby left to make the call, and Dean made as if to follow.

"Hey," Sam said, stopping him and took off the Samulet, "You probably want this back."

"Thanks," Dean said, looking at the Samulet with a touched expression and put it on.

"Yeah, don't mention it," Sam said.

Zoe aww-ed at the sight and Sam shot her bitchface number 17, but she ignored it and sent the brothers a grin. Sam turned back to Dean once Zoe left to gather her things, leaving the Winchesters alone.

"Hey Dean, what was it like?" he asked.

"What, Hell? I don't know," Dean lied, "I must have blacked it out. Like the kid said, I don't remember a damn thing."

Sam nodded, accepting his answer, "Well, thank God for that."

Zoe gave Dean a look that went unnoticed by Sam, but Dean looked away and headed to the bathroom. Sam gave Zoe a small smile and had her help with the packing until Bobby came back. When he returned, Sam checked them out of the motel and followed Bobby out, Zoe right behind him.

"She's about four hours down the Interstate," Bobby said as he led the way to the parking lot. "Try to keep up."

Zoe saluted him and stuck to Sam's side.

"I assume you'll want to drive," Sam said as he tossed Dean the keys to the Impala.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Dean chuckled as he ran a loving hand over Baby, "Hey, sweetheart, did you miss me?"

Dean took the driver's seat while Zoe and Sam walked around the car and got in, Sam taking shotgun while Zoe sat in the backseat. Dean gave the iPod a dirty look.

"What the hell is that?" he demanded.

"That's an iPod jack," Zoe said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Dean glared at Sam,"You were supposed to take care of her, not let some kid douche her up."

"Dean, I thought it was my car," Sam defended.

"See," Zoe said looking at Sam, "I told him you'd be mad about the iPod. It was his idea not me. I respect Baby too much."

Dean smirked and turned the ignition key. Immediately Vision began to play and Dean shot Sam a pained look, and Zoe laughed.

"Really?"

Sam shrugged innocently. Dean ripped the iPod out of the jack and tossed it in the back seat, but Zoe caught it before it fell to the floor. She plugged in her earphones and leaned back, hoping to take a nice nap during the ride, a habit she had picked up while riding with Sam.

* * *

After a while, Zoe heard Dean speak, and didn't open her eyes. He probably thought she was asleep, silly squirrel. Little did he know that Zoe had long since learned the breathing patterns of a sleeping person in hopes of fooling her parents into thinking she was still asleep.

"Hell of a kid," Dean told him, "Most would have broken down and admitted themselves into a psychiatric ward."

Sam nodded, "I almost did when she wouldn't talk for weeks, but she pulled through. Took almost a month before she stopped expecting she was going to wake up back home. She was pretty broken up about it, but I helped her through it and succeeded."

Dean laughed, "That's my Sammy. Helping lost teenagers get back on their feet."

"She's twenty," Sam corrected. "Not exactly a teenager."

They fell into silence.

"There's still one thing that's bothering me," Dean said, breaking the silence again. "The night that I bit it. Or... got bit. How'd you make it out? I thought Lilith was going to kill you."

"Well, she tried," Sam replied, "She couldn't."

Dean frowned, "What do you mean, she couldn't?"

Sam frowned as he remembered what happened that day,"She fired this, like, burning light at me, and... didn't leave a scratch. Like I was immune or something."

"Immune?" repeated Dean.

"Yeah," Sam nodded, "I don't know who was more surprised, her or me. She left pretty fast after that."

"Huh," Dean said, putting that away for now, "What about Ruby, where is she?"

"Dead," Sam lied, "For now."

Zoe had to physically stop herself from snorting. Right. Dead.

Dean paused, biting his lip, unsure and said hesitantly, "So you've been using your, uh, freaky ESP stuff?"

"No," Sam said, almost offended Dean had even considered that.

"You sure about that?" Dean asked unconvinced, "I mean, now that you've got... immunity, whatever the hell that is... just wondering what other kind of weirdo crap you've got going on."

"Nothing, Dean," Sam defended, "Look, you didn't want me to go down that road, so I didn't go down that road. It was practically your dying wish."

"Yeah, well, let's keep it that way," Dean finished.

They fell into silence again, and Zoe decided now was a good time to wake up and ask how long until Pamela's.

"Sam?" she asked, yawning.

"Hey," Sam said, "Sleep well?"

She nodded, yawning again, "How long till Pamela's?" When Sam didn't answer she sighed, annoyed, "The psychic."

"About two hours," Sam answered.

Zoe groaned and lay back down.

"Thought you were used to riding around with Sam," Dean said looking at Zoe through the rear view mirror.

"Doesn't mean I like sleeping on the backseat," she groaned, "It's stiff."

The brothers shared an amused look, and Zoe fell back asleep, but not before telling the boys to get her coffee once they finished with Pamela or they'd be dealing with a murderous teenager. Sam confirmed that claim and Dean promised to stop by a coffee place or a drive thru. As thanks, Zoe explained Destiel and why it was the biggest ship in the entire fandom.

Needless to say, Dean wasn't all too excited to meet Castiel.

* * *

Zoe yawned as she followed the boys and Bobby up the stairs to Pamela's house. She opened the door with a ready smile and greeted Bobby warmly, pulling the older man into a hug.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," Bobby returned with equal emotion.

"So, these the boys?" she asked turning to the brothers.

"Sam, Dean," Bobby introduced, "This is Pamela Barnes, best damn psychic in the state."

"Hey," Dean greeted.

"Hi," Sam nodded.

"Mmm-mmm-mmm," Pamela said taking in the eldest Winchester, "Dean Winchester. Out of the fire and back in the frying pan, huh? Makes you a rare individual."

Dean smiled, "If you say so."

Zoe poked her head from under Sam's arm and smiled at Pamela, "Hi."

"And who would you be?"

"Zoe," she said extending her hand for Pamela to shake, "Pleasure to meet you."

"Reality girl," Pamela said nodding, "Right. Caused quite a stir you know."

Zoe looked down, shyly, "Not my fault. Know who brought me here?"

Pamela shook her head, "Sorry. Don't know how to get you back, either."

Sam placed a reassuring hand on Zoe's shoulder, "We'll find a way, don't worry."

Pamela invited them in and led them into the living room.

"So, you hear anything?" Bobby asked.

"Well, I Ouija'd my way through a dozen spirits," Pamela said, but she shrugged, "No one seems to know who broke your boy out, or why."

"It was Castiel," Zoe said. "Since Angels rarely come to earth, they probably forgot they existed."

"So what's next?" Bobby asked.

"A séance, I think," Pamela suggested, "See if we can see who did the deed. Maybe the kid's right and it is an angel."

At this Bobby frowned, "You're not gonna... summon the damn thing here."

"No. I just want to get a sneak peek at it," Pamela assured, "Like a crystal ball without the crystal."

"I'm game," Dean said.

"I'm not," Zoe said, but she was ignored.

Pamela spread a black tablecloth covered in symbols over a small table. Sam and Dean look at it warily, though Zoe is dozing off in one of the chairs. She shoots Sam a dirty look when he shakes her awake.

"I'm tired," she snapped, before crossing her arms.

"Who's Jesse?" Dean asked, curiously.

Pamela laughed, "Well, it wasn't forever."

Dean shrugged, "His loss."

"Might be your gain," Pamela finished.

Zoe ignored the brothers' banter and watched with interest as Pamela arranged the candles, itching to ask her what the symbols meant. She'll have to ask Sam about seances later.

They all sat down on the chairs, Sam taking a seat next to Zoe and Bobby sitting on her other side, then Pamela, and finally Dean.

"Right," Pamela said taking Dean and Bobby's hands, "Take each other's hands and I need to touch something our mystery monster touched."

Zoe laughed when she hears a thump where Pamela slapped Dean's inner thigh.

"Well, he didn't touch me there," Dean said, a bit surprised.

"My mistake," Pamela said, though Zoe had the sneaking suspicion that she didn't mean it.

Dean glanced around nervously and rolled up his sleeve to reveal a hand print. Sam and Bobby stare in shock while Zoe looked at it with a mixture of boredom and interest, her mind going back to the theory of exactly how Castiel pulled Dean out of hell. Pamela gingerly placed her hand over the hand print.

"Okay?," she said and they all close their eyes, "I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command... Castiel? No. Sorry, Castiel, I don't scare easy."

Zoe flicked open an eyelid when the TV turned on and she detected white noise.

"Castiel?" Dean asked looking at Pamela and Zoe.

"Its name," Pamela said, "It's whispering to me, warning me to turn back."

The white noise and static continued.

"Listen to him Pamela," Zoe warned. "It's gonna be bad if you don't.

She remembered this, and Dean never did forgive Cas for it.

"I'm almost close," Pamela said, "I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face."

"Pamela," Zoe pleaded. "There's a reason they have vessels. Listen to him. We're not supposed to look at angels head on.

"Maybe we should stop," Bobby said casting a look at Zoe who was biting her lip with worry.

"I almost got it," Pamela said determined, "I command you, show me your face! Show me your face now!"

Suddenly the candles flared up several feet in the air and Pamela screamed. Her eyes flew open, filled with white flame before she collapsed. Bobby caught her before she fell and lowered her to the ground while Zoe looked on, frozen in shock

"Call 9-1-1!" Bobby shouted at her.

Sam scrambled out of his chair and into the next room to call an ambulance. Dean crouches over Bobby and Pamela, who was conscious but bleeding. Her eyes flew open and Zoe shut her eyes, biting her lip to keep the guilt from growing any more.

Fuck. She should have stopped her. Fuck.

Pamela cried "I can't see! I can't see! Oh god!"

Dean glanced at Zoe who seemed to break out of her trance and was backing away from them, in search of Sam no doubt and followed, calling after her.

"What happened back there?" he demanded when he found her outside, running a hand through her hair. "You said his name was Castiel and you tried to stop Pamela. Did you know this would happen?"

"I—"

Dean didn't let her answer and went back inside, shaking his head.

Stupid. Stupid. She should have tried harder to stop Pamela from peeking. She knew and she tried and it still happened. She mumbled an apology. She should have tried harder she told him, gotten Pamela to listen. This was her fault.

…

Bobby went with Pamela to the hospital once the paramedics arrived. Zoe wondered what the doctors would think of those injuries and what Bobby's excuse would be. In the meantime, Dean took them to a diner and went with Zoe to find a table while Sam answered a call from Bobby.

As usual, Dean ordered two pies for himself and Sam, and some breakfast and coffee for Zoe.

"Be up in a jiff," the waitress said and left.

Sam entered, finishing up his call with Bobby. Zoe looked at him, wanting to know what Pamela's condition was.

"What'd Bobby say?" she asked.

"Pam's stable. And out of I.C.U," Sam informed them.

"And blind, because of me," Zoe grumbled as she focused on applying as much pain as she could on a brown paper napkin.

"It wasn't your fault, Zoe," Sam said.

"Yeah," Dean agreed, "It's the bastard, Castiel, who's responsible for that."

Zoe shook her head, and sunk deeper into her chair, but said nothing. Sam cast her a worried look.

"Least now we know what we're dealing with," Dean said. "Since Pamela confirmed the kid's telling the truth, with the right mumbo-jumbo we could summon him, bring him right to us."

"You're crazy," Sam said shaking his head, "Absolutely not."

"We'll work him over," Dean insisted, "I mean, after what he did? Zoe said he was one of the good guys. My so-called best friend according to her."

Sam shook his head, and argued "Pam took a peek at him and her eyes burned out of her skull, and you want to have a face to face?"

"You got a better idea?" Dean asked.

Zoe nodded, deciding she might as well do something right, "The waitress. She's a demon, and so's that guy, and that one. Right Flo?"

The waitress who had approached them, with their food Zoe noted as her stomach grumbled, smirked and turned to Dean, "Dean. To hell and back. Aren't you a lucky duck."

"That's me," Dean said smugly.

"So you get to just stroll out of the pit, huh?" The demon challenged, "Tell me. What makes you so special?"

"I like to think it's because of my perky nipples," Dean said sarcastically, "I don't know. Wasn't my doing, I don't know who pulled me out."

"Right," the demon said, not believing a thing Dean had said. "You don't."

"No. I don't."

Zoe groaned, hoping to move this along. She needed coffee. It kept her from doing stupid things she was going to regret, and with Pamela in the hospital, Zoe had absolutely no impulse control. Her day was already as bad as it got and she was curious to see how bad it could go.

She turned to the waitress, "Can we all just move this along and get to the part where you admit you're too scared to do anything because you don't know who busted Dean out, except that it's powerful and you're scared out of your wits? I'm kinda tired and this coffee sucks."

Yes. Zoe was mean when she was tired, and stupidly sassy and brave, or just mostly stupid when she didn't have coffee.

The waitress narrowed her eyes at her and said threateningly, "Mind your tone, girl."

Zoe smiled and leaned forward, with a smug grin, "Or what? You'll kill me? Sammy'll kick your demonic ass if you do. Point is you don't know who it was and if you wanted to hurt us you would've done so, 'cept you don't want whatever it was on your ass. And I know for a fact that it was a very powerful creature, one you don't want to mess with. So do me a favor, lady, and beat it."

Zoe turned to Sam who looked just as shocked as Dean and the waitress, "Come on. I want coffee and there's this neat little coffee shop a few blocks from here."

The boys follow right behind, while the demon the demon stayed at the table, fuming. Sam caught up with Zoe who is leaning against the Impala, arms crossed.

"Holy crap," Dean said, "That was close." He turned to Zoe who was picking at a hangnail with with complete nonchalance, "what the hell was that? I know you were handing out with Sam, but I thought you had more sense than that."

Zoe rolled her eyes, "Bad day. No coffee. Demon wasn't going to tell us anything, and don't worry about them, Sam. They'll be dead by nightfall. Eyes burned out of their sockets. And they're not going to bother us. They're scared out of their wits. Castiel isn't someone they'd want to mess around with, but if you're dead set on going after them, then wait until you meet Castiel. One thing at a time. Now. Coffee."

They did stop by a coffee shop and bought Zoe a nice large chocolate chip Frappucino before returning the motel. Sam gave her a talk of not doing anything stupid like that again even if both he and Dean were there during the ride, and held the coffee hostage until Zoe swore not to do that. Bobby returned a few hours later, declaring that Pamela would be fine, but the doctors wanted to keep her for a few days. Zoe spent her time, asking Dean about some hunts in the journal since Sam hadn't been present for some of them. Dean was willing to tell the story, though unlike Sam who was more factual, he stretched the story a bit longer, but it got a few laughs out of Zoe.

* * *

Zoe yawned as she turned off the TV and began to settle down on the couch until she saw Sam putting on his coat. She gave him a questioning look, and he gave her a guilty look.

"Don't tell him, Zoe," he said, "Please.

Zoe sighed, "He's not going to be happy about it though, but it's your secret. Don't blame me when he finds out."

Sam left, closing the door silently, and Zoe lay down, getting ready to sleep, but she didn't get much sleep. A few minutes after Sam left, the television flicked on to static, and the radio started whining too. Dean startles awake, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, before rolling quickly to grab a shotgun lying by the bed. He looked around cautiously, glancing at Sam's empty bed and Zoe's sleeping form by the couch. He grimaced. The painful white noise began again, and Dean plugs his ears, keeping the weapon up in his left hand. The noise startled Zoe awake too who plugs her ears and shouted something Dean can't hear.

"CAS!" she cried out, "God Dammit! He can't understand you!"

A mirror on the ceiling shattered and broken glass rained down on them. Dean crumpled to the ground, crying out in pain while the noise continued.

"Castiel!" Zoe shouted again, "Or so God help me, shut it! You're going to make him deaf and what good will that be?! Go and get your vessel already!"

Bobby thankfully burst into the room and Castiel's true voice dimmed until it was nothing. Zoe silently thanked him and ran a hand over her ears, thankful they didn't burst though, they were still ringing.

And there was blood on her arm. Wonderful.

* * *

They were in Bobby's car, driving to an abandoned warehouse Bobby had found for them to use. He turned to both Dean and Zoe who where wiping off their blood and checking for any serious injuries. Thankfully there weren't none. Zoe had managed to convince them to take her with them, and threatened to tell Sam if they didn't. Bobby pointed out that they would be placing her in danger in case the thing came back. Dean made her promise that she would do what he said without question, but it wasn't like Zoe would be in danger. Castiel was harmless.

"How you both doin'?"

"Aside from the church bells ringing in my head, peachy," Dean said, wiping the blood from his face.

"Same," Zoe grumbled.

Dean pulled out his phone and dialed, "What are you doing?...In my car?...Well, uh, Bobby's back. We're going to grab a beer. The kid's here too…. She didn't want to be left alone...Done...Yes I'll keep an eye on her. Catch you later."

Zoe frowned, and felt her own phone buzz. It was Sam.

"You have reached the life model of Zoe Martinez."

"Zoe," Sam said, "You okay?"

"Yup," she said catching Dean's eye and mouthed that it was Sam. "Bobby's taking us to this bar he found."

"Alright," he said, "Stay with Dean if something happens, and if something goes wrong, call me."

"Yes mom," Zoe said sarcastically "But Dean-o will keep an eye on me. He'll rip their lungs out, right Dean?"

Dean frowned slightly, but smiled nonetheless.

"I gotta go," Sam said, "Take care. And no drinking."

"What kind of girl do you take me for? I hate the smell. Except for wine. Wine is soo go...Fine. Bye Sam."

"Why the hell didn't you tell him?" Bobby said once Zoe hung up.

"Because he'd just try to stop us," Dean said.

Zoe hummed in agreement.

"From what?" Bobby said.

"Summoning this thing," Dean replied, and added, "It's time we faced it head-on."

"You can't be serious!" Bobby said shocked.

"As a heart attack. It's high noon, baby," Dean."

Zoe raised her fist in agreement and Dean high-fived her.

"Well, we don't know what it is," Bobby said. "Or how to kill it."

"I do," Zoe chirped causing the two men to look back at her. "Besides, he's harmless, most of the time," she added after a thought, "and Ruby's knife doesn't work on him. So heads up."

"Yeah?" Dean challenged, "Between Bobby's arsenal and all the traps we know, this guy is toast."

Zoe huffed and leaned back, and said in a sing song voice, "It's not going to wo-ork."

Silence.

"This is a bad idea," Bobby said finally.

"Yeah, I couldn't agree more," Dean admitted, "but what other choice do we have?"

"We could choose life," Bobby said and Zoe agreed with him.

"Bobby, whatever this is," Dean said, "whatever it wants, it's after me. That much we know, right? I've got no place to hide. I can either get caught with my pants down again, or we can make our stand."

"Dean," Bobby said, "we could use Sam on this."

"Nah," Dean dismissed, "he's better off where he is."

With Ruby, and realizing just how powerful Cas could be.

* * *

Zoe swung her feet as she watched Bobby begin spray painting the walls with interest, asking him questions about the symbols, their uses and origins. Bobby answered, though Zoe could tell he wasn't as willing a teacher as Sam. After learning she didn't know how to make a Devil's Trap (Sam had been meaning to teach her), the boys had her keep out of trouble, occasionally bringing Bobby a new spray can or Dean some supplies. She turned to Dean, who was mixing some ingredients, and resisted the urge to ask him what it was supposed to do and what it had.

"That's a hell of an art project you've got going there," Dean said once Bobby finished.

"Traps and talismans from every faith on the globe," the old hunter said proudly, "How you doin?"

"Stakes, iron, silver, salt, knife," Dean pointed to each respective item, "I mean, we're pretty much set to catch and kill anything I've ever heard of."

"This is still a bad idea," Bobby said reluctantly.

"Trust me," Zoe assured, "He's pretty harmless when he's not your enemy and he likes Dean. We'll survive. 100% sure. The show's never wrong."

Bobby raised an eyebrow at Zoe, who grinned and jumped down from the chair to allow Bobby some space as he began to chant in Latin. When nothing happen, Zoe entertained herself by studying Ruby's knife until Dean took it from her hands, mostly because he didn't trust the kid with knives and he didn't want to deal with Sam if the kid hurt herself somehow. So instead, Zoe huffed and tapped the drumbeat of Eye of the Tiger on the chair.

Any day now, Cas, she thought.

* * *

Dean was the first to break the silence.

"You sure you did the ritual right?" Dean said after waiting for nearly half an hour. Bobby gave him a look while Zoe groaned and leaned back.

"Sorry. Touchy, touchy, huh?" Dean joked, hoping to ease the tension and boredom.

As if on cue, a loud rattling shook the roof. The hunters armed themselves with shotguns and took positions at the far end of the warehouse. Zoe looked up, and smiled before glancing at Dean who motioned for her to stay where she was.

"Wishful thinking," Dean said, keeping his eyes on the door, "but maybe it's just the wind."

The door burst open with a loud bang and a wide grin spread across Zoe's face that went unnoticed by anyone except the blue eyed puppy with the trench coat that walked into the warehouse. He frowned slightly when he saw her, but said nothing. As he walked forward, the light bulbs above him shattered, showering him with sparks and added to the dramatic effect. Then again, Castiel always had a flair for the dramatic. On instinct, the hunters began firing only to watch in shock as the bullets don't even faze Castiel.

"Who are you?" Dean demanded, reaching behind him to grasp Ruby's knife.

Without missing a beat, Castiel said one of Zoe's favorite lines- which she may or may not have mouthed while he said them, "I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition."

"Yeah. Thanks for that," Dean said and reared back, plunging the knife into Castiel's chest.

Castiel, naturally, looked down unconcerned, and pulled it out, and allowed it to fall to the floor. Behind him, Bobby attacked; without looking, Castiel grabbed Bobby's weapon and used it to swing him around before reaching forward and touching Bobby's forward, instantly putting him to sleep. He turned to Dean and Zoe.

"We need to talk, Dean," he looked at Zoe and took a step towards her, "Alone."

Zoe scrambled out of Castiel's way and Dean stepped in front of her, stopping the angel from advancing.

"I know what you're going to say, Cas," Zoe said, causing Castiel to tilt his head at the nickname, "I've been praying to you remember? I'll just be over here. Minding my own business. Checking out newborn tumblr..."

She dragged her chair away from the table and sat down, using her phone as a distraction while Castiel turned to Dean who had crouched in over Bobby, checking that he was alive. The angel glanced at Zoe who seemed to be reading something on her phone, chuckling every now and then.

"Your friend's alive," Castiel stated,

Dean glared, and stood, "Who are you?"

"Castiel."

"Yeah, I figured that much," Dean said, "I mean what are you?"

"I'm an Angel of the Lord."

"He's awesome," Zoe added.

"Yeah, that's what the kid said," Dean said.

"And yet you did not believe her. This is your problem, Dean," the angel said, studying Dean, "You have no faith."

Lightning flashed, illuminating the shadows of large wings that unfurled from Castiel's back and spread across the wall, showing off their full length. Dean heard the click of a camera and turned to see Zoe taking a picture of said wings, which she may or may not have made into her new background.

"Some angel you are," Dean scoffed, "You burned out that poor woman's eyes."

"I warned her not to spy on my true form," Castiel explained, "It can be... overwhelming to humans, and so can my real voice. But you already knew that."

"You mean the gas station and the motel. That was you talking?" Dean asked and Castiel nodded, "Buddy, next time, lower the volume."

"They really downplayed how painful the true voice is," Zoe said. "You're lucky I'm not deaf, Cas."

Castiel looked apologetic, "That was my mistake. Certain people, special people, can perceive my true visage. I thought you would be one of them. I was wrong."

Dean glanced down at Castiel's vessel, "And what visage are you in now, huh? What, holy tax accountant?"

"This?" Castiel looked down, "This is... a vessel."

"You're possessing some poor bastard?" Dean demanded.

"He's a devout man," the angel explained, "he actually prayed for this."

It seemed squirrel really was an appropriate nickname. He had a short attention span.

Zoe spoke up again, "Unlike demons, angels need permission to enter a body, so Jimmy Novak gave Cas his permission to possess him. Right?"

Castiel looked at her again, studying her closer, eyes narrowing slightly before he nodded, "That's correct."

"Right," Dean said glancing at Zoe briefly, "And why would an angel rescue me from Hell?

"Good things do happen, Dean," Castiel pointed out, but Dean scoffed.

"Not in my experience."

The angel frowned in confusion, "What's the matter? You don't think you deserve to be saved?"

"Why'd you do it?" Dean repeated.

"Because God commanded it. Because we have work for you."

More like Michael commanded it, Zoe thought. Everyone knew God wasn't in heaven and Michael was calling the shots and Gabriel was MIA, and Raphael was too much of a traditionalist to go against Michael, and Lucifer...well Luci just wanted it all to end once and for all. She looked up to see the angel staring at her, and so stared back raising her head in a challenge and Castiel looked away. Bobby groaned, drawing their attention and Castiel left in a flutter of wings. Dean looked at the spot previously occupied by said angel in shock.

"He does that," Zoe said, "A lot unfortunately. We'll see him again, a lot, fortunately, but early season 4 he's a bit of dick. No offense Cas."

At the last part, she looked up as if to tell the angel she didn't mean to offend him. Dean grunted and had her clean up the table, placing the weapons back in the duffel bag while he helped Bobby to his feet and filled him in on what happened.

"So," Zoe said, "Who wants to fill in Sam on how things went?"

* * *

 **In all honesty, chapter one is as perfect as it gets.**

 **Anywho, guys I really appreciate opinions and reviews and critiques. Especially on how to improve. I will try to have Zoe do more stuff. That is definitely happening, trust me on this, but if you guys fell like she isn't, tell me and I'll see what I can do.**

 **Have a great week guys!**


	3. Hello God? Fuck You

**Another chapter that has been left mostly untouched. Yay!**

Zoe woke up in Bobby's guest room. The aging hunter had been kind enough to prepare a room for her. This mostly meant that stuff on the bed was stuff on floor or in the closet. Anything was better than a motel bed. Bobby's guest bed might as well have been heaven.

She dreamed of home. Where the last four months had been nothing but a very vivid dream, and she hadn't been gone. Nothing had changed, unless the crushing fact that it was just a dream now counted as change. She turned around on her back to stare at the blurry ceiling, squinting to make out the rest of the room before she reached for her glasses and went in search of coffee.

Bobby better have a coffee machine or a pot brewing.

The Winchesters were already up, but then again that wasn't all that surprising. Sam woke up too early in the morning to be considered normal, and she doubted Dean as any different. Ah, but she needed coffee, and thankfully someone, probably Sam, had a pot boiling. As she made her coffee, she overheard the brothers talking.

"Well, then tell me what else it could be?" asked Sam.

"Look," Dean said, "all I know is I was not groped by an angel."

"Okay, look, Dean," Sam said, "Why do you think this Castiel would lie to you about it?"

"Maybe he's some kind of demon," suggested Dean, "Demons lie."

Zoe silently scoffed. Of course Dean would automatically think that Castiel was a demon even when he had been proven otherwise. When in doubt, blame demons. The Winchester motto.

"A demon who's immune to salt rounds and devil's traps... and Ruby's knife? Dean, Lilith is scared of that thing!"

Thank you Sam. Zoe always knew there was a reason she liked the more reasonable of the Winchesters.

"Don't you think that if angels were real," argued the stubborn squirrel, "that some hunter somewhere would have seen one... at some point... ever?"

"Yeah," Sam agreed, "You just did, Dean."

Zoe grimaced when she tried the coffee and searched the cupboards for more sugar. Salt. Salt. Salt. Rice. Cereal. More Salt. Sugar? No, just salt. What's in the box? Oh my god! Salt! What a complete surprise.

"I'm trying to come up with a theory here," Dean said. "Okay? Work with me"

"Dean, we have a theory."

Zoe gave a cry of victory when she found the sugar and poured two teaspoons of it into her mug and stirred it while making her way towards the Winchesters.

"Yeah, one with a little less fairy dust on it, please," Dean continued.

Ah Dean. Stubborn as ever.

"Okay, look. I'm not saying we know for sure," Sam placated "I'm just saying that I think we -"

"Okay, okay," Dean interrupted, "That's the point. We don't know for sure, so I'm not gonna believe that this thing is a freaking Angel of the Lord because it says so!"

"But he is an angel," Zoe said and the brothers turned to face her. "One of the really nice ones."

Sam gave Dean an 'I told you so look', but Dean still refused to accept it. Zoe took a sip of her coffee. Ah. Just how she liked it.

Bobby spoke up, "You three chuckleheads want to keep arguing religion, or do you want to come take a look at this?"

The Winchesters walked over to Bobby to see what he had found while Zoe sat on the recliner, wondering if Bobby had any biscuits or cookies.

"I got stacks of lore – Biblical, pre-Biblical," he pointed to the respective books, "Some of it's in damn cuneiform. It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the pit."

"What else?" Dean asked.

"What else, what?"

Zoe considered asking Bobby rather than spend her energies looking for it.

"What else could do it?" Dean asked.

"Airlift your ass out of the hot box?" Bobby finished, "As far as I can tell, nothing."

But Bobby was busy.

"Dean, this is good news," Sam said, though Dean didn't believe him, "Because for once, this isn't just another round of demon crap. I mean, maybe you were saved by one of the good guys, you know?"

But she really needed to eat something with her coffee.

"Okay. Say it's true," Dean said, "Say there are angels. Then what? There's a God?"

"Yes and NO," Zoe spoke up.

All three frowned.

"What do you mean by that?" Bobby asked.

Zoe sat up straighter, "Well, God hasn't been seen in heaven for a long time, at least according to the show and multiple angels, and no Dean, they aren't lying." Said Winchester closed his mouth and frowned. "The archangels are calling the shots not God. Well, Archangel, since Gabriel ran off shortly after God left because of Lucifer and Michael's constant fighting before Lucifer fell, and I know for a fact that Raphael takes Michael's side in the fight."

"Do you know who God is?" Sam asked.

"Yes," Zoe said. "His name is Chuck."

"Riight," Dean said. "Now you're just messing with me."

"I'm serious," Zoe said. "His name is Chuck."

"Anything else we should know?" Dean asked, clearly expecting more bullshit.

Zoe paused to take a sip, "So there's sixty six seals keeping Lucifer in the cage. Dean was the first seal: When a righteous man sheds blood in hell, so shall the first seal break, yada yada yada. Lilith is trying to break them, and the angels aren't stopping her because they want the Apocalypse to happen and bring Paradise to Earth and eternal life and all that good stuff. Anywho, one of the seals is the raising of the Witnesses which is one of the first seals you encounter which is episode two."

"Apocalypse?" Dean repeated, "The apocalypse, apocalypse? The four horsemen, pestilence, $5-a-gallon-gas apocalypse?"

"And archangel Sunday dinner," Zoe nodded.

"Road trip," Dean said without missing a beat, "Grand Canyon, Star Trek Experience. Bunny Ranch."

"When is episode two?" Sam asked, ignoring Dean.

"Right now," Zoe said cheerfully and turned to Bobby, turning serious, "Olivia's dead and so's about twenty hunters. The Witnesses strike here next and I'm going to save you all a road trip and say that the victims of the Witnesses, who are people you couldn't save, are all found with their chests ripped open."

The three hunters were silent after Zoe finished. Zoe, for her part, simply finished her coffee and took the topmost book, an encyclopedia of angels, before walking away.

"I can tell you about angels later," she said, "There's a whole bunch the lore got wrong. And we're also out of milk."

Sam was ultimately volunteered to get more milk and more salt. Bobby and Dean both began scouring the Internet and books for any information on the Witnesses, well Bobby did since Dean wanted to see how good of a shot Zoe was, and took her outside. Zoe wanted to finish the encyclopedia, but Dean insisted and Zoe didn't feel much for arguing.

Dean was impressed with Zoe's accuracy. Sam had been teaching her, and Zoe supposed it helped that she managed to convince her cousin to take her to a shooting range for her eighteenth birthday and that Zoe was a quick learner, a trick she thanked her artistic skills for. Speaking of which, Zoe had to get Sam to invest in a sketchbook. Her hands were getting restless with a lack of drawing, having been reduced to mere doodling. She hated it.

As she practiced, she heard Dean remind Sam to buy more pie. Typical squirrel.

Zoe wondered if Dean's love for pie had something to do with the fact that Mary used to make him pie. It would explain why he got ecstatic for pie.

* * *

Sam pulled up a while later with the groceries. Zoe huzza'd at the milk while Dean huzza'd the pie. The teenager began to make herself some cereal while Bobby told the brothers that Olivia Lowry hadn't been answering her phone.

"Think those Witnesses the kid was talking about got her?" Dean asked.

Bobby and the Winchesters left to check on Olivia, wanting to see for themselves while Zoe stayed at home. Zoe for her part was offended that Bobby and Dean didn't believe her, and the fact that Sam was still reluctant to take her on any hunts and the older hunters agreed. Sam made Zoe promise to call if anything happened. Zoe promised, lifting up the iron poker she had found and pointed to the bags of salt Bobby kept should the Witnesses showed.

Then again, she couldn't really blame them for not believing her about Olivia. Perhaps once they found her dead, they'd believe her. A morbid thought, but true nonetheless.

As the impala drove out of view, Zoe wondered if Bobby had any bacon in the fridge.

* * *

Nearly around lunchtime, Sam called. Zoe took a sip of her soda and answered, "Texas morgue. You stab 'em we-"

"Zoe" Sam interrupted, sounding worried and slightly disoriented, "Are you alright?"

"Sam?" Zoe asked, placing her finished plate in the sink, "Yeah I'm fine. No ghosts. Why?"

"The Witnesses," Sam said, "You where right. Olivia. Jed. They're dead. Bobby's on his way back, so do whatever he says when he gets there. Where are you?"

"Kitchen," Zoe said.

"Make a salt circle and get inside it just in case," Sam said, "Don't do anything until Bobby gets back. Got it?"

"Roger," Zoe said.

"Bobby's on his way there," the concerned moose continued, "If you see any ghosts-"

"Shoot them or throw salt or stay in the circle," Zoe finished.

"Good girl. We'll be there soon."

* * *

Bobby arrived an hour later, and thankfully for Zoe nothing had happened; the old hunter found her sitting in the middle of the circle reading a book. She glanced up when he arrived.

"Bobby?"

"These Witnesses," Bobby said, "Is there any way to get rid of them?"

Zoe nodded, "A spell, but I can't remember which one. I only saw this episode oncer."

Bobby grunted and placed some books on the table, "Well get going. We need to find that spell."

Zoe did as she was told and began reading, making mental notes to come back to certain pages once her life wasn't threatened.

A few hours passed and the boys were still not back yet. Zoe tapped her foot impatiently, glancing at the door continuously. She sighed and froze, her heart skipping a beat when her breath became visible. A chill went up her spine and the room temperature dropped a few degrees.

And then the lights flickered.

Bobby turned to Zoe, "You know where the panic room is?"

"Basement," Zoe said nodding. She'd explored the place before Sam called.

"Go," he said, "Don't stop until you're inside."

And Zoe ran, her neck prickling as laughter echoed through the halls. She cursed Kripke and his brilliant idea of using ghost twins in the episode. As if Bobby's house wasn't creepy enough as it was. She heard multiple gun shots, but she didn't stop until she opened the Panic Room door and shut it behind her, taking deep breaths as she tried to calm herself.

Bobby would be alright. He wasn't set to die until Season Seven.

Zoe gripped the desk tightly and tried to calm her heartbeat and her breathing. Breathe. Think of happy things. Calm things. All she had to do was wait until the boys arrived.

And then she remembered she had left her phone on the desk because it kept bothering her when she sat down.

Great. No way to contact them and she knew for a fact Sam went full Mama Moose if there was danger near.

Zoe comforted herself with the look of relief Sam would have once he found her alive.

But they were taking so long. Zoe tried to distract herself by reading the few books Bobby had put for entertainment, but neither caught her attention. The brothers were taking too long.

Maybe she should go out and help.

No. Bobby would kill her for disobeying his order, if the Witnesses didn't get to her first that is. She'd just have to wait for them to find her, if they lived long enough for that.

But the time line hadn't been damaged, and everything was still on track. She just had to wait until they found Bobby from wherever it was the ghostly twins had taken him.

And Bobby did arrive, with the Winchesters in tow.

The youngest Winchester found himself taking a step back when Zoe ran towards him (propriety be damned) and pulled him into a tight hug, burying her face into his chest. Like predicted, Sam was relieved that she was alive, and Zoe released him after Sam returned her hug.

Sam looked around, running a hand down the iron wall, "Bobby, is this..."

"Solid iron," Bobby confirmed proudly, "Completely coated in salt. 100% ghost-proof."

"You built a panic room?" the moose asked, still in disbelief.

The old hunter shrugged, "I had a weekend off."

Dean looked around in awe, "Bobby."

"What?"

"You're awesome. Oh. Hello."

As previously mentioned, something caught the elder Winchester's attention. Zoe rolled her eyes and accepted her phone from Sam, apologizing for leaving it behind. At least she was still alive, Sam assured.

* * *

Zoe placed another book in the growing stack of Books That Don't Have What We're Looking For. During her wait, she had tried to find the spell they needed with no such luck. With Bobby, they mowed through the books faster. The brothers packed salt rounds for their guns, and silence dominated the Panic Room, well if grinding metal, falling books, and turning pages counted as silence.

And like most silences, they were broken by Dean Winchester.

"This is why I can't get behind God."

Zoe glanced briefly at the elder Winchester before returning to her book.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

"If he doesn't exist, fine," Dean continued, "Bad crap happens to good people. That's how it is. There's no rhyme or reason – just random, horrible, evil – I get it, okay. I can roll with that. But if he is out there, what's wrong with him? Where the hell is he while all these decent people are getting torn to shreds? How does he live with himself? You know, why doesn't he help?"

"I ain't touching this one with at 10-foot pole," Bobby said.

"They actually cover that," Zoe said slowly. When the Winchesters had no qualms about hearing her opinion she continued, "This angel you meet, not Cas, talks to God and he says to back off when you try to stop the archangel's from fighting. God left like a millennium ago so Michael's been in charge, so really Michael cares about you. God stopped giving a shit about this world a long time ago."

"And Michael cares why?" Dean asked.

"Well," Zoe said, "According to some in depth analysis by yours truly and Tumblr, the Winchester Family is representative of God and the Archangels. You're Michael, Sam is Lucifer, and John is God. John wasn't around much in your childhood, or was at least your typical father. You're the good son, the soldier, always following John's teachings, despite his less than stellar fatherhood. And then there's Sam who rebelled against what John taught, and wanted to go his own way. Sam leaving for Stanford is symbolism for Lucifer's fall from Heaven, and John's disappearance, and I'm thinking death as well but don't quote me, is God leaving. Course Mike and Luci never got along long enough to settle their differences and find their father. Apocalypse is Sunday dinner. Tumblr comes up with a lot of theories since Kripke is big on subtext and foreshadowing."

"I don't know whether to be worried over the fact you gave the devil a nickname," Dean said, "Or be concerned over just how much free time you had in that other dimension to theorize over a television show's symbolism."

Dean looked like he had more questions, but at that point, Bobby exclaimed he found the spell they needed. Zoe glanced at the foreign language, and made a mental note to ask Bobby to teach her foreign languages.

"Mark of the Witness," Bobby said pointing to the respective mark.

"Witness to the unnatural," Zoe pipped in before Sam could ask, "None of them died what you'd call ordinary deaths. See, these ghosts – they were forced to rise. They woke up in agony. They were like rabid dogs. I think it's Lilith who raises them. The Raising of the Witnesses serves as a milestone for the Apocalypse."

"Great," Dean said, his enthusiasm gone, "Any ideas about beating our ghostly friends upstairs aside from staying in this room until Judgment Day?"

"It's a spell," Bobby pointed to the paper, "to send the witnesses back to rest. Should work."

"Should," Sam repeated, "Great."

"It does," Zoe said, "I doubt anything major changed. You have everything Bobby, 'cept the spell needs to be cast over an open fire."

"The fireplace in the library," Sam suggested.

Bobby nodded solemnly, "Bingo."

Dean grimaced at the thought, "That's just not as appealing as a, uh, ghost-proof panic room, you know?"

Zoe sank back on the chair, preparing herself to spend another hour in the Panic room, only for Bobby to give her a rifle. Zoe took it hesitantly and looked at Sam, who seemed reluctant, but nodded. A hunt. She was going to join the Winchesters fight against the Witnesses, and as fun as it sounded, Zoe was terrified.

"Cover each other," Bobby told them, "Zoe you stay with me. And aim careful. Don't run out of ammo until I'm done, or they'll shred you. Ready?"

Zoe nodded and followed them out, keeping a tight grip on the rifle. Well, time to see if a day at the shooting range, and three months with a Winchester paid off.

She was going so going to die.

They made their way out of the room, Zoe following close behind, reluctant to stay alone in the room, and headed toward the stairs. Zoe turned, her heart skipping a beat when she saw a curly haired twenty-year old man sitting on the steps.

"Hey, Dean," the ghost greeted, "You remember me?"

"Ronald, huh?" Dean guessed, "With the laser eyes? I wish I could say it's good to see you."

"I am dead because of you," Ronald accused, "You were supposed to help me!"

Zoe flinched when she heard a gunshot close to her and saw Ronald disappear in a cloud of smoke and sparks. Sam placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"If you're gonna shoot, shoot," Bobby said, "Don't talk."

Somehow, by some act of the absent God, they made their way to the living room without incident and the boys got to work. Sam began to make a salt circle while Bobby instructed Zoe to begin making the sigils and Dean started the fire.

"Sam," Bobby said once Sam was done, "Upstairs, linen closet – red hex box. It'll be heavy."

Sam nodded and left.

Zoe looked up briefly to see the two twins standing just outside the salt circle. She cursed whatever movie it was that thought it would be a good idea to have creepy ghost children, twins no less. As if she wasn't already scared of her wits. The left twin said Bobby's name but Dean shot them and they disappeared.

"Kitchen," Bobby said to Dean, "Cutlery drawer. It's got a false bottom. Hemlock, opium, wormwood."

"Opium?"

Had Zoe not been at her wits end, and on the verge of past the point of no return in terms of anxiety, she would have rolled her eyes. Instead she focused on keeping her hand steady while Bobby performed the rest of the spell.

The girls reappeared again and Bobby handed her the shotgun so he could better focus on the spell. Zoe took aim and fire, grimacing from the force of the recoil, taking a few steps back from the sheer force of it. Bobby glanced at her briefly, a silent question in his face, but she nodded. She could do this. She was fine.

She was a big fat liar.

The doors of the kitchen slammed shut, causing the two of them to look up. Bobby cursed and became even more focused while Zoe stood her ground watching for more ghosts.

"Dean?" She called, hoping for the better experienced and more available Winchester to hurry.

"I'm all right," she heard him say, "Keep working!"

Zoe bit her lip at the sound of a gunshot and hoped Sam got there in time.

Ghost hunting? Really not all that fun once you got into it. At that moment, Zoe envied the Ghostbusters with their more simplistic and nicer ghosts that were more pest than menace. Even that god - Zul was it?- was defeated in the end with science. No such luck here. This was very real and very dangerous.

The brothers Winchesters arrived, ingredients and ghosts in tow. Ronald appeared while Dean was reloading.

"Ronald," Dean complained, "Hey, come on, man. I thought we were pals."

"That's when I was breathing," Ronald said, "Now I'm gonna eat you alive."

"Well...come on," Dean taunted, "I'm not a cheeseburger."

Zoe wondered exactly how Dean could keep a cool head in the situation, then chalked it up to nearly a lifetime in experience. Zoe couldn't even think of a coherent thought without stammering much less make a snarky comment. Stupid Dean. Stupid TV show trying to show how awesome Dean is.

Bobby began to recite the spell in Latin, yet how he managed to translate the foreign script to Latin when the original wasn't even in Latin was beyond Zoe and she wasn't about to ask. The windows were thrown open and a powerful wind blew away the salt, some of it getting into her mouth. She thanked her stars her glasses somehow managed to stay on, else she'd pull a Velma.

She kept an eye on Bobby, and reached for an iron poker and gladly gave her gun to Dean who fired at Meg.

"Sam!"

Too much action. Zoe swung the poker, disintegrating the twins. Fight or Flight. Normally she would have chosen flight, but Zoe had the sinking feeling the ghosts wouldn't care if she was responsible for their death or not. Ghosts didn't discriminate. The same, unfortunately, couldn't be said for the government.

Bobby continued to recite the spell as Sam kept trying to push away the desk. Zoe saw Meg appear behind her and swung on instinct, years of living with a prankster sister finally paying off. Ronald appeared and Zoe found herself pressed against a wall.

After years of watching people get thrown against walls, Zoe no longer had to wonder what it felt like. It was as if something was keeping her flat against the wall. Sam might have called her name, but she didn't hear him.

And then the ghosts disappeared and Zoe fell to the ground, breathing heavily. Dean was the first to reach her and helped her up.

"You okay?" he asked.

Zoe took in a deep, yet painful breath, and nodded, making a mental check to make sure everything was in order before she began to take deep breaths to calm herself while sitting down in the nearest chair.

…

Sam had checked in on her before he retired for bed, to make sure how she was holding up after her first 'hunt.' Zoe considered more of her first official encounter with the paranormal, though her enthusiasm was lacking.

"This is what it's like for you guys?" She asked.

Sam chuckled, "Most of the things we hunt don't blame us for their deaths."

The youngest Winchester made her promise to call him should something happen, knowing first-hand how the aftermath of a first hunt, before he left.

Zoe turned her attention to the clock, squinting slightly to try to make out the words before deciding it was futile. She was too lazy to get her glasses, and honestly? She was too spooked to move from her spot, and simply turned to stare at the out of focus shadows on the ceiling.

Zoe turned her head when she heard the familiar sound of flapping wings to see a blurry khaki colored figure. Said figure was offering her something, and it took her mind a moment to register that it was her glasses.

Castiel watched her, expressionless, and Zoe simply stared back, waiting for him to speak, but it soon became apparent the angel wasn't going to speak first.

"So you tell Dean about the seals yet?" she asked, wondering if she sounded too casual.

Castiel nodded, "He claimed you knew about the seals and of the impending fight between Michael and Lucifer."

Zoe adjusted her position, motioning for Castiel to take a step back and sat up cross-legged.

"So tell me, Cas," she said, "What brings you to my room? I doubt it's because of my charming personality."

She needed to stop thinking of Cas as a lost puppy. She was getting annoyed by how many times she had to remind herself the angel standing before her was a soldier, and an angel.

But the little tilt of his head when she said Cas was all too adorable.

"You are correct," Castiel said, "I came to know what it is you know about the seals. Dean tells me that you know about them."

A shrug, "'bout as much as you. I know the last seal is Lilith."

"What?"

Zoe froze.

Fuck. Did Cas not know this?

Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck

No he didn't. He finds out after Dean tells him and…

So much for fixed points in time.

Castiel disappeared no doubt to ask about it leaving Zoe alone.

Fuck.

Would they send Zach after her? Zoe hated Zach. Metatron may have been a douche but he manipulated, never got his hands dirty, preferring to use trickery.

Zachariah, on the other hand, he had no mercy and he hated humans. Metatron appreciated humans.

She was dead.

At least she survived longer than a week before she was killed off.


	4. Here's where things get interesting

Somehow, Zoe had convinced the brothers Winchester to allow her to join them on their next hunt. Dean of course was reluctant, not wanting to have her be a liability, but Sam insisted that she could help, or, as Zoe suggested, be useful in the research department if all else failed. So now she lay down on a motel couch, listening to rain on her phone, while she considered her life choices.

She had made a big mistake.

She had majorly fucked up. Not even that kid from Doctor Who fucked up as much as she just did. Her phone continued to play the sound of rain, but Zoe paid no attention to it. How? How could she have forgotten that small part?

Oh right, she never watched season four enough to pay enough attention to detail. It was times like these, she wished season 5 would come quicker. Maybe the angels would find a way to fix it...maybe she already fucked up majorly and Castiel went to ask Michael about what she meant with the seals.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

She closed her eyes and tried to breathe. She retreated into her mind, imagining herself in an attic, surrounded by clutter. The Attic. A trick she'd picked up after watching Sherlock. Though not as sophisticated as his, Zoe's own mind palace was still relatively organized.

"Don't you ever clean?"

Zoe froze. She knew that voice. Slowly she turned around to see the last person she would have ever wanted to meet.

"Hello," Zachariah said smugly, "Zoe right? Please, sit down."

Zoe sat down on a green bean bag that had materialized behind her, practically shaking, while Zachariah pushed away a few toys from a chair before sitting down. He wore what he always wore: black suit, and a smug look that would make even Umbridge uncomfortable.

"So ,I hear you're not from around here," Zachariah said, "From another universe, in fact. Tell me what's it like?"

She shrugged, as her voice decided to malfunction. This was bad. This was very bad.

"It must be lonely," Zachariah said, "Being so far from home."

Her heart hammered away at her chest. Her mind had gone blank, and in that moment, Zoe couldn't move. Metatron, she could face down, maybe even start a book discussion with him, but Zachariah? He terrified her. He'd do anything to get what he wants, regardless of how he got there.

"Relax, kiddo," the angel said, "I'm on strict orders to not harm a hair on your head, considering, that is, if you keep quiet."

Quiet? For what?

"You know what," Zachariah said, but when Zoe didn't answer, he added, "Lilith. The seals. Lucifer's cage. Ringing a bell?"

Oh. That.

"See," Zachariah said standing up, "You know we won't be stopping the seals. Had a little peek in that head of yours, and what I could gather, you know what we're really up to."

He was going to kill her. Well, Zoe at least hoped the Winchesters would avenge her death, maybe she'll even wake up back home, and put all this behind her.

"Now, Michael for some reason," Zachariah continued, "Allowed your little slip up with Castiel. We removed that part of his memories, so we're letting you off with a warning. Keep quiet and nothing will happen to you. Understand?"

Yup. Perfectly. Crystal clear.

Zachariah smiled, "Good."

…

Zoe woke up to the sound of arguing. Their motel room had been small, and Zoe had commandeered a comfortable spot in the couch in the living room. Unfortunately for her, she should have accepted Sam's offer of the second twin bed because the brothers seemed to have turned the living room into their shouting match arena. Scowling, she pushed herself up and unplugged her ear phones and put on her glasses, just in time to see Dean punch Sam. Did she miss something? She must have because she overslept.

And yet her conversation with Zachariah was still very vivid.

"You satisfied?" Sam asked, pushing himself upright.

Dean hit him again. Zoe noticed Sam bleeding more his mouth and winced.

"I guess not," Sam concluded.

"Do you even know how far off the reservation you've gone?" Dean asked, "How far from normal? From human?"

"I'm just exorcising demons," Sam defended.

"With your mind!" Dean shouted, but then said calmer, "What else can you do?"

"I can send them back to hell," Sam answered, "It only works with demons, and that's it."

Dean didn't believe him and pushing him backwards, "What else can you do?!"

She should intervene. Zoe should definitely intervene, and stop them before they did anything stupid. And yet she didn't want the wrath of Dean Winchester come down on her. Instead she stood still, watching the scene unfold before her.

"I told you!" Sam said pushing away his brother's hand.

"And I have every reason in the world to believe that," Dean said and walked away from his brother.

Zoe shrunk back, not meeting his gaze. Instead she glanced at Sam who tried to approach his brother.

"Look, I should have said something," Sam began. Dean stopped, back still to his brother, "I'm sorry, Dean. I am. But try to see the other side here."

Nice to know those four years at Stanford worked, Sammy. Because that's exactly how you diffuse a situation with your pissed off brother.

"The other side?" Dean repeated.

"I'm pulling demons out of innocent people."

Good point Sammy.

"Use the knife!"

Also a good point Dean.

"The knife kills the victim!" Sam pointed out, "What I do, most of them survive! Look, I've saved more people in the last five months than we save in a year."

"That what Ruby want you to think?" Dean asked, "Huh? Kind of like the way she tricked you into using your powers?" He shook his head, "Slippery slope, brother. Just wait and see. Because it's gonna get darker and darker, and God knows where it ends." He turned to Zoe, "Did you know about this?"

"I can neither confirm or deny that statement without the presence of a lawyer," Zoe said automatically.

"Leave her out of this, Dean. I won't let it go too far," Sam insisted.

Dean smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He walked over to the wall and hit the lamp, causing it to crash and fall off. When he turned to look at Sam, his face was thunderous."

"It's already gone too far, Sam" he said, "If I didn't know you... I would wanna hunt you. And so would other hunters."

Zoe winced and bit her lip. These guys were brothers. It was like watching the episode all over again except now she knew them personally, and that only made things worse.

"You were gone," Sam pointed out, "I was here. I had to keep on fighting without you. And what I'm doing... It works."

Was this how children felt when they saw their parents fight? Well...considering Sam was the closest thing she had to a father figure here...did that make Bobby her grandfather figure?

"Well, tell me," Dean asked, "If it's so terrific... then why'd you lie about it to me?" When Sam didn't answer, Dean continued, "Why did an angel tell me to stop you?"

At that Sam looked up surprised, "What?"

"Cas said that if I don't stop you, he will," the elder Winchester explained, "See what that means, Sam? That means that God or Michael, or whoever is in charge, doesn't want you doing this. So, are you just gonna stand there and tell me everything is all good?"

Zoe slowly made her way around the brothers in search of her bag. Neither brother said anything, and when she closed the door to the bathroom, Sam was talking on the phone. Dean glanced at her briefly before she shut the door.

…

The trees blurred past the windows, a sign that there would be no civilization for another hour. Zoe yawned and turned her head to listen to Dean's retelling of his adventure through time. She rested her elbows on their seats to better hear their boy melodrama scene. She always did love the bonding moments.

"I can't believe it," Sam said, "Mom, a hunter?"

"I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't seen it myself," Dean nodded, "That woman could kick some ass. I mean, she almost took me down."

"John's a Man of Letters," Zoe said. The brothers glanced at her and Zoe waved their hands dismissively, "You'll find out about later. They're like the library of Alexandria for Monsters. There's a bunker in Lebanon, Kansas…I think. But you need a key to get in."

Sam shook his head, "How'd she look? I mean... was she happy?"

"Yeah, she was awesome. Funny and smart. So hopeful."

Dean glanced briefly before he turned his eyes to the road, and added, "Dad, too. Until of course..." He trailed off and Sam sighed. "What?"

Zoe wondered if she needed to pee.

"Nothing," Sam said, silent for a moment before he turned back to Dean and said, "It's just, our parents. And now we find out our grandparents too? Our whole family murdered and for what? So Yellow Eyes could get in my nursery and bleed in my mouth?"

Zoe could practically see the gears turning in Dean's head as he thought over that statement, "Sam, I never said anything about demon blood. You knew about that?"

When Sam didn't say anything, Zoe came to the rescue, "I told him. Let it slip way back when he found me. I thought he knew."

Dean glanced at Sam, unconvinced before turning his eyes on the road. Sam mouthed a small thank you and Zoe patted his shoulder before lying down on the backseat.

Yes. She needed to pee.

"Hey Dean-o?"

"Yeah?"

"I need to pee."

...

"Are you sure that's him?" Dean asked holding up the binoculars to spy in Jack.

Zoe nodded, while eating her dinner: fajitas, sausage and pieces of chicken. She practically forced Dean to stop the car and to get them the food, exclaiming how much she missed true Mexican food, while claiming anything up north was nothing more than fake imitation. Texas had the real Mex food. They also stopped to fill up the tank and use the facilities.

Dean had rented them a room, one with a pull out bed early on. They would have left Zoe at the room, but she insisted on coming, pointing out that she wasn't busy and that she'd be no bother. They caved in the end.

"Only Jack Montgomery in town," Sam pointed out.

"And we're looking for..."

Sam shrugged, "Travis said to keep an eye out for anything weird."

"Weird?" Dean repeated.

"Yeah."

Dean glanced back at the house, "Alright, well, yeah, I've seen big weird, little weird, weird with crazy on top. But this guy? I mean, come on, this guy's boring."

"I don't know, Dean," Sam said, "Travis seemed pretty sure."

Zoe thought for a moment, going over her mental archive of Supernatural episode. Jack Montgomery. Now why did that name sound familiar.

After a moment, Sam said, "I'd say that qualifies as weird."

"What?" Zoe asked.

"He's eating raw meat," Sam said putting away his binoculars while Dean started the car.

Well that narrowed it down tremendously. Zoe knew exactly where they were.

"Metamorphosis," she said suddenly.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Season four episode four," Zoe explained, "The Rugaru episode. Jack's a Rugaru."

"Rugaru?" the elder Winchester repeated, "The hell's a Rugaru? That sounds made up."

Zoe grimaced as she tried to think, "Er...man eating creature. Sorta like a Wendigo."

"Great."

...

They arrived at the motel a few minutes later, and Zoe was ready to make use of the pull out bed. She almost bumped into Sam when he stopped, looking at something in the room, and so poked her head from under Dean's arm to look inside.

An older man with a bandaged arm sat by the table, beer in hand.

Sam spoke first, "Travis."

"See, Sam," Dean said turning to his brother with a smile, "Told you we should have hid the beer."

Travis smiled and got up, "Smart ass. Get over here." He pulled each brother into a hug, "Ah, good to see you both. And who's this? One of yours?"

Zoe blinked. Was he talking about her? Must be because he was looking at her. A Winchester's kid? As if.

"Travis this is Zoe," Sam said, "She's just someone I picked up a few months ago."

"Hunter's kid?" Travis asked.

Zoe shook her head, "Traveler. Pleased to meet you."

Travis nodded, shaking Zoe's hand and turned to Sam, "Man, you got tall, kid." They laughed, and Travis said, "How long has it been?"

Zoe continued to eat her food. Oh how she missed grilled fajitas, and sausage, and chicken.

"Ah," Sam thought for a moment, "gotta be 10 years."

Course her dad had a trick for keeping the meat soft, and even though these were hard. Zoe wasn't complaining.

"You still a..." Travis paused, trying to think of the word, "oh, what was it... a Mathlete?"

Sam began to say no, but Dean interrupted him, "Yep, sure is."

"Been too long, boys," Travis shook his head and regarded the brothers, "I mean, look at you. Grown men. John would have been damn proud of you. Sticking together like this.

"Yeah," Dean agreed, "Yeah, we're as thick as thieves. Nothing more important than family."

Zoe glanced at Sam who's smile had disappeared, and shook her head. Typical Dean.

"Sorry I'm late for the dance," Travis continued, oblivious to the exchange between the brothers, "Thanks for helping out an old man. I'm a little, uh, shorthanded." He motioned to his arm, and they laughed. "So, you track down Montgomery?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded, "we found him at his home."

"And?"Travis asked.

"Well," Dean added, "he had a hell of a case of the munchies, topped off with a burger he forgot to cook. Kid says he's a Rugaru."

Travis turned to Zoe, "You seen one of these things before?"

Zoe shook her head. Thank God no. "Just heard of them."

"Well that's him alright," Travis nodded.

"What exactly is a Rugaru.?" Sam asked. "Zoe said they're like Wendigos."

"They're mean, nasty little suckers," the older hunter explained, "Rotted teeth, wormy skin, the works."

"Well, that ain't this guy," Dean pointed out, "I mean, he was wearing a cellphone on his belt."

"He'll turn ugly soon enough," Travis promised, "They start out human, for all intents and purposes."

"So, what?" Sam asked, "They go through some kind of metamorphosis?"

"Yep, like a maggot turning into a bull fly," Travis said with a nod, "But most of all they're hungry."

"Hungry for what?" The older Winchester asked curious.

"At first, for everything," answered Travis, "but then... for long pig."

Zoe and Sam grimaced, though Dean didn't understand.

"Long pig?" Dean asked.

"Homo Sapiens," Zoe said.

"And that is my word of the day," he declared.

"Hunger grows in," Travis continued, "till they can't fight it. Till they got to take themselves a big, juicy chomp, and then it happens."

"What happens?" Sam asked.

Ain't it obvious Sammy?

"They transform completely and fast."

Le gasp! Zoe tossed the empty aluminum into the trash bin.

"One bite's all it takes. Eyes, teeth, skin; all turns. No going back either. They feed once, they're a monster forever. And our man Jack's headed there on a bullet train."

Dean frowned, "Well, how'd you find this guy if he's a walking, talking human?"

Zoe rummaged through the small refrigerator for water, pushing aside the beers.

"Lets just say it runs in his family," Travis replied.

"You mean, uh..."

"Killed his daddy back in '78," Travis explained, "Son of a bitch mangled 8 bodies before I put him down. Guy used to be a dentist. Cadillac, trophy wife... Little did I know, pregnant trophy wife. She put the boy up for adoption. By the time I found out, he was long gone, lost in the system."

Sam was in disbelief, "You mean to tell me you couldn't find someone?"

Beer. Beer. Beer. Opened can of beer. Leftovers. Sam's nasty vitamin water thing.

Travis sighed, "I'm not sure I wanted to. The idea of hunting down some poor kid... I don't think I'd have the heart. No. I wanted to wait, make damn sure I had the right man. Apparently, I do."

Zoe gave a cry of victory when she found a water bottle.

Zoe dozed off on the couch. Sam had left earlier to do some research on Rugaru lore. Zoe would've gone with him had she had the energy to move. The couch turned out to be incredibly comfortable, though she was curious as to what the remaining Winchester was doing and watched him instead. He and Travis seemed to be making homemade blowtorches.

"So fire, huh?" Dean asked.

"The only way I found to kill these bastards; deep-fry 'em."

Zoe remembered something about a deep-fried archangel and silently chuckled. She sincerely hoped she'd get to meet Gabriel. He was by far her favorite character.

"Well, that's gonna be... horrible. Is that what you did to Jack's dad?"

"Uh-huh."

Sam came in with papers in hand. Immediately, the teenager straightened up, curious to see what the papers said.

"Not wasting any time, are you?" he asked.

"None to waste," Travis pointed out, "The guy hulks out, we won't be finding bodies, just remains."

Sam sat down at the bed next to table, while Zoe leaned forward and took the topmost paper and began reading. Rugaru lore. Interesting.

"What if he doesn't hulk out?" Sam asked, and at the others look, he continued, "I did a little homework. Uh, I've been checking out the lore on Rugarus."

Zoe wondered if chopping off the heads was more effective than fire.

"What?" Travis asked offended. "My 30 years of experience not good enough for you?

Or maybe chopping off the head and burning it. Kill the head. Kill the body.

"What? No," Sam said quickly, "No, I-I- I just wanted to be prepared. I mean, not that you didn't.."

Huh...according to one legend they are under the spell for 101 days.

"Sam loves research,"' Dean explained, "He does. He keeps it under his mattress right next to his KY. It's a sickness." Dean looked at his brother's bitchface, "It is."

"Look," Sam ignored him and returned to the subject at hand, "everything you said checked out, of course, but uh. I found a couple of interesting stories about people who have this Rugaru gene or whatever. See, they start to turn, but they never take the final step."

"Really?" Dean asked.

"See," Sam continued, "if they never eat human flesh, they don't fully transform."

"So what? Go vegan, stay human?"

"Basically," Sam said, "Or in this case, eat a lot of raw meat, just not..."

"Long pig," Dean finished.

"Or you could wait 101 days," Zoe pipped, "According to some of the lore the Rugaru is under the spell for 101 days. If we give the guy a chance, he could be fine after that. According to Native American lore, if a rugaru doesn't take a bite of people, then it'll return to a normal human being. "

Travis, who had been silent at the time, spoke up, "Good on you for the due diligence, Sam." He stood and poured himself a cup of coffee, "But those are fairy tales. Fact is, every Rugaru I ever saw or heard of... took that bite."

Sam however, was not one to give up easily, "Okay, well, that doesn't mean that Jack will."

"So what do we do?" Travis asked, "Sit and hope and wait for a body count?"

Pretty much. Jack was a pretty okay guy from what Zoe remembered, and unless she was wrong, he only took the bite after Travis threatening him and the wife.

"No, we talk to him," Sam insisted, "Explain what's happening. That way he can fight it."

"Fight it?" Travis laughed, "Are you kidding me? You ever been really hungry?"

That got Deans attention. He snatched Zoe's paper from her hands and began to skim through it.

"I mean, haven't-eaten-in-days hungry?"

Dean nodded, "Yeah."

"Yeah. Right then," Travis said, "So somebody slaps a big, juicy sirloin in front of you, you walking away?"

"Yes," Zoe said. "If three yappy chihuahuas can ignore a grill happening five feet away, then Jack Montgomery can not take the last step to become a rugaru."

Touche.

Dean didn't respond and Zoe took the bottom most paper from his hands.

Travis sighed, and said, "I'm sorry. I'm sure he's a stand-up guy, but it's pure, base instinct. Everything in nature's gotta eat. You think he can stop himself 'cause he's nice?"

"I don't know," Sam admitted, but added firmly, "But we're not gonna kill him unless he does something to get killed for."

Zoe glanced at Dean. Well that hit way too close for home.

Dean looked over at Sam, who took a few deep breaths and walked out of the room. When Zoe made to follow, Sam shook his head and Zoe sat down with a huff. Well then. Travis looked over at Dean, puzzled by Sam's reaction.

"What's up with your brother?"

Dean looked at the door and then at Travis, "Don't get me started."

The sun poured into the motel room, waking the teenager from her slumber. Her dreams had been uneventful as usual. It was strange, to have uneventful dreams. Apart from her conversation with Zachariah, she hadn't had any memorable dream, no dragons turned horses, or trips home via underground jungle where her classmates were reduced to nothing more than cowardly companions.

She woke up early enough to join Sam and Dean to talk to Jack Montgomery. The boys began to walk up the steps to the backyard, but Zoe stopped them and led them to the front door.

"Let me do the talking," Zoe said.

"Why?" Dean asked, frowning.

"Because if you tell him straight out he's dangerous, he's not going to believe you," Zoe said.

Dean looked like he was about to argue, but Sam convinced him to let Zoe handle this. Zoe took a deep breath and sent Gabriel a small prayer. The patron saint of communication was her only chance in Jack Montgomery believing them.

She rang the doorbell and Mrs. Montgomery answered.

"Can I help you?" Mrs. Montgomery asked.

"Is your husband home, Mrs. Montgomery?" Zoe asked.

Mrs. Montgomery looked behind her and said, "Jack? Why? Is something wrong?"

"It's best if we talk inside."

The look on their faces seemed to be enough of an answer. Worried, Mrs. Montgomery called her husband into the living room. Jack Montgomery was a decently handsome man. He reminded Zoe of someone out of a fifties movie with his clothes and hair styled back.

"Something wrong?" he asked as he eyed Sam and Dean.

Sam and Dean for their part seemed to let Zoe do the talking.

"Mr. Montgomery," Zoe said, standing with her hand extended. "My name is Zoe Martinez. This is Dean Winchester, and his brother Sam Winchester."

Mr. Montgomery shook their hands, but continued to be weary.

"Could you sit down, Mr. Montgomery?" Zoe asked.

Jack Montgomery did as he was asked, gripping his wife's hand tightly.

"So," Zoe said, trying to keep as calm as possible, "I really don't know how else to put this, but you're a Rugaru, Mr. Montgomery."

"I'm a what?" he asked.

"A Rugaru," Zoe repeated. "It's a cannibalistic creature from Native American myth. It's what your father was, and what you are, and what your child is."

"You're crazy," Jack Montgomery scoffed. "My father-"

"I'm sure you know you were adopted," Zoe said. "And I know that your wife is pregnant."

He looked at his wife who said, "I was going to tell you. I just wanted to be sure, but how—"

"Let's just say I know a lot of things I shouldn't," Zoe said.

"So you've been spying on me and my wife?" Montgomery asked, standing up.

Zoe remained seated, though Sam and Dean tensed, "Your father was a Rugaru, no doubt your age when he began changing. Tell me, have you felt the shifting bones beneath your skin? Or an insatiable hunger? Surely Mrs. Montgomery you've noticed your husband has been acting strange."

Mrs. Montogmery's hand went to her shoulder, and she looked at her husband.

"It always starts small," Zoe continued. "You'll get hungry for raw meat. Insatiable, like you just can't get full. Then it grows and suddenly you see your loved ones as no different than a burger, and when that happens, well…that's what Sam and Dean do. They hunt and kill creatures that kill people."

"Jack?" Mrs. Montgomery said looking at her husband.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked, looking at them.

"Because we think we found a way to help you," Sam said, giving Jack one of the printed out pages of Rugaru lore. "According to some legends, if we wait for 101 days, then you will return to normal."

"And if I don't do this?" he asked.

"The only way to permanently kill a Rugaru is with fire," Zoe said. "We don't want it to come to that."

"So, what's your plan?" Jack Montgomery asked.

"And there's my cue."

A familiar golden-haired man appeared in the living room, startling everyone except Zoe.

"Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery meet Loki, the Norse Trickster God."

* * *

 **So I might have lied.**

 **I shall explain my reasoning in the next chapter if anyone is interested.**

 **As always, tell me what you thought, what you liked or what you hated. I am open to all kinds of feedback. If you think this fic is a piece of shit or not.**

 **(Though I'll never demand for reviews. Though they do encourage the writing)**


	5. The One You've Been Waiting For

**Alright so I'm open to all sorts of criticisms on this chapter. It's a bit of a standalone in that it's not drawing from other episode scripts, which means this episode is made completely from scratch, and I'm writing these characters based off my memories of them because I'm too lazy to rewatch season 4. If I can get a feel of what you guys like, then I'll be able to adjust and see where my writing needs work, and were I'm good.**

 **So basically, if you think this chapter is shit, I wholeheartedly agree with you and want you to tell me where exactly it's most shitty. Which parts felt awkward? Which ones were good? Were some characters OOC? How OOC?**

 **And if Bobby comes off sounding like Dr. McCoy from Star Trek, I'm sorry but it's been occupying my mind most of this summer. The Original Series is great.**

 **And this chapter is shorter than the rest. Sorry about that. Next chapter we'll get into more episodes**

" _Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery meet Loki, the Norse Trickster God."_

 _The previous night…_

Zoe found herself in the Attic again, but this time, by choice. The boys had gone to bed, as well as Travis who was crashing in the spare bed. Zoe opted to stay awake with the excuse of wanting to do more research. Meditating tended to count as research.

"Gabriel," she called.

As expected, the archangel did not appear. He had no reason to after all. Still, it never hurt to try a few more times, but all ended in failure. The angel did not appear. Zoe frowned, and thought for a moment, thinking of a way to bring Gabriel to her.

"Gabriel," she said, "perhaps I will have more luck calling you by your preferred name of Loki? Or the Trickster as the boys call you? I imagine they'll be very surprised and interested to know who you really are. Especially Michael. I mean, you're supposed to sound the horn seven times aren't you, Loki?"

She smiled, feeling the rush of adrenaline that came with taunting someone more powerful than you. The flutter of wings signaled Gabriel's arrival.

"You have my attention," he said, watching her with his golden eyes. "What do you want?"

"A favor," Zoe said.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "A favor? Why?"

"Come on," Zoe said, "Surely you know who I am? Heaven's been talking about it according to Zachariah and Castiel."

"I haven't been paying much attention," Gabriel responded, crossing his arms.

Zoe sighed, and explained to Gabriel the same story she told the Winchesters and Bobby. As she explained herself, and her reasoning for knowing Gabriel's dual identity, the archangel went from dangerously irritated to interested. He frowned, looking at her as if she was a strange creature.

"You're from another dimension." It was more of a statement than a dimension.

"Yes," Zoe said, "and I want to get back. So far you're the only one who knows _how_ to travel through dimensions or at least powerful enough to help me."

"And if I don't help?" Gabriel asked.

Zoe shrugged, "I don't plan on telling Michael, if that's what you're worried about. If you need anything while I'm here, then I'll help in any way I can."

Gabriel considered this and said, "Why not go to Michael and ask for his help? He's got the juice."

"Because Michael is going to want me to help him with the Apocalypse," Zoe said. "I don't want anything to do with that, him or Lucifer. I just want to go back to being a regular girl and enjoy life with my girlfriend. And," Zoe added, "I don't have any leverage on Michael."

"And if I smite you?"

"Michael will want to know why I was smote," Zoe said. "Zachariah himself said Michael was interested in me. I would think my death would be enough to catch his attention."

Gabriel weighed his options before relenting.

"Alright kiddo. I'll help," Gabriel said.

Zoe grinned, "Awesome!"

"I'll see about finding a spell," Gabriel said.

"What about that spell that involves dead sea brine, bone of a lesser saint?" Zoe asked, remembering the spell Balthazar has used.

"That spell is a quick and easy one," Gabriel explained. "It sends people into a random dimension. Anyone can do that with the right power, but sending someone to a _specific_ dimension? I'll need time."

"Take as long as you need," Zoe said. "I'm not going anywhere. And in return, I won't tell on you."

Gabriel extended his hand, "It's a deal."

They shook, and Gabriel turned to take his leave. Before he disappeared, a thought occurred to Zoe.

"Wait! Can I ask you for another favor?"

Gabriel raised an amused eyebrow, "Depends."

 _Present Day_

"What is _he_ doing here?" Dean asked, pointing his gun at the Trickster.

Zoe placed herself between them, raising her hands placatingly at Dean, "Dean it's okay. He's here to help."

"Help?" Sam asked, also pointing his gun at Gabriel.

The Montgomery's seemed torn between calling the police or bolting. Gabriel for his part, sucked on a lollipop, unconcerned at the weapons pointed at him.

"Yes," Zoe said. "Trust me on this. He agreed to help."

"Zoe, I don't know what you think he promised," Sam said, "but you can't trust him."

"Yes, I can," Zoe said. "Will you at least hear me out?"

"Yeah Sam," Gabriel said, sitting at the loveseat in the Montgomery's living room, "hear me out."

Sam continued to glare at the Trickster, but didn't say anything. Zoe silently hoped that everything would go right. This was a dangerous gamble, and she wasn't looking forward to the talk they were going to have once this was over.

"Loki can create pocket dimension," Zoe said. "I've seen him do it. If we place Mr. Montgomery in one of those pocket dimensions, we won't have to worry about him escaping and killing someone."

"And how do we know he won't set him lose or feed him someone?" Dean asked.

Gabriel looked appalled at this, dramatically placing a hand over his heart, "As if _I_ would ever! The kid and I shook on it. Jack here is going to be in safe hands. I got a nice little place for him to run around."

"What happens if the legends aren't true?" Jack Montgomery asked, his voice shaky. "What if, when the days are up, I still…"

"Jack," his wife began.

"It's a possibility," Jack said. "I don't want to hurt you or our child, darling. I'd rather be dead than risk hurting you."

"It will be painless," Gabriel promised. "I will personally escort you to Valhalla if need be. Or Heaven. Whichever."

"You can't be considering this," Dean said. "You can't be thinking about actually trusting freaking Loki the Trickster God of all things."

"We made a deal," Zoe said. "Loki and me. If Mr. Montgomery would rather be placed in a pocket dimension for the hundred and one days, be chained in some obscure location where he'll suffer from some severe psychological trauma, or be burned alive by Travis. My plan ensures he'll be well taken care of."

"Because you trust him," Dean said.

"Yes Dean," Zoe said, growing angrier at Dean by the second. "Because I trust him. It's Mr. Montgomery's choice. Not mine. Not Loki's and certainly not yours or Sam's."

Mr. Montgomery looked at his wife, then at them before his eyes finally rested on Gabriel. He gripped his wife's hand tightly, and said, "What would I need to bring?"

Gabriel beamed and said, "Anything you think you'll miss. Clothes, movies, photographs, laptop. Imagine you're going on an extended vacation."

Jack Montgomery nodded and turned to his wife who didn't seem to know what to think. She didn't seem to want to let her husband go, but at the same time, knew she didn't have a choice in the matter.

"It's for the best," he said. "Stay with your mother while I'm gone. Tell her that I came down a rare disease. God willing, I'll be back."

"Okay," she replied tearfully, tightly hugging her husband. "I will, but you come back to me. Please. For our child."

"Our child," he repeated, eyes wide before turning to Loki. "My child. Will he-?"

"He won't have a hankering for people," Gabriel assured. "Promise."

The Montgomerys smiled, happy and relieve with the news.

"Thank you," they said. "Thank you for your help, all of you. Thank you so very much."

"Just doing our job," Zoe said, smiling.

"What the hell, Zoe?" where Dean's first words when the doors on the Impala closed shut. Zoe flinched at the shout, but otherwise remained silent. "What were you thinking?"

"Your plan would have involved shutting Mr. Montgomery in a cell for a hundred days," she replied. "I had to think of a better solution At least this way he won't be stuck in isolation that long. Loki will keep him entertained."

"And what makes you think the Trickster will be able to keep a Rugaru in check," Dean asked. "Or how do you know he won't set him loose?"

"We made a deal," Zoe said.

"A deal? Right. Sure" Dean said. "What? You sold your soul to the Trickster for a Rugaru? Is that it?"

"No," Zoe replied angrily.

"Then?" Dean asked with equal furor.

"I'm not going to tell you the terms of mine and Loki's deal," Zoe said. "That's between us alone."

The impala swerved, to the alarm of the passengers and the poor driver behind them. Dean parked at the side of the road, gripping the steering wheel tight.

"Get out."

"Dean—" Sam tried to argue.

"I can accept her knowing about the Witnesses and I'll even give the angel thing a pass," Dean said. "But this is too far."

"I was helping," Zoe argued. "You want to know where your plan would have gotten the Montgomery's? Dead. Travis gets impatient and tries to kill Mr. Montgomery by holding his wife hostage. He plans on killing her too. They die. All of them. My plan ensured they all stayed alive."

"Because you trust the Trickster."

"Yes, Dean," Zoe said. "Because I trust him. You should try that sometime. Not everyone is out to kill you, you know."

"Zoe," Sam said, "you have to understand that we have a history with the Trickster."

"I know about the college thing and about the mystery spot," Zoe said. "But the Trickster isn't a bad person."

"He killed me over and over—"

"To prove a point!" Zoe would have thrown her arms up if the roof allowed it. "You and Sam have an unhealthy co-dependence. You release one of the most dangerous villains in the entire show because you were willing to risk the world for each other. There has to be a point where things go far enough. You started the freaking _Apocalypse_ because you refused to let Sam die."

She took a calming breath as her body shook. Dean wouldn't listen to her, she knew this and yet she still tried.

"Hold on—"

"No, Dean," Zoe said. "I stopped the deaths of three people by asking the Trickster for help. You're welcome."

Zoe unbuckled the seatbelt and got out of the Impala. Sam looked torn between stopping her and facing Dean's wrath, or letting her go. He flinched when the door slammed closed. Dean started the car and drove off. Zoe didn't wait to see the Impala go. Instead she took a calming breath, clenching her fist to hide the shaking in her hand.

"Wow."

"What do you want, Gabriel?" Zoe asked, as she picked a direction and started walking. With any luck, she'd find a grocery store or someone willing to drive her to a bus station.

"I eavesdropped on your little…discussion," Gabriel said. "And to tell you the Rugaru is settling in nicely in the little shed I fixed up for him."

"Thanks," Zoe said.

Gabriel unwrapped a candy bar and took a bite out of it. He assumed a thoughtful look before he said, "So what are you going to do?"'

"I don't know," Zoe replied. "Head to Bobby's?"

"So, you're not sure?" Gabriel asked.

"No." Zoe sat down at the bus stop. The next bus wasn't due for another hour according to the schedule. "I doubt he's going to want to take me in if the boys told him about our deal."

"Only one way to find out," Gabriel said, straightening up. "As a gesture of my oh so great benevolence, I shall drop you off at his house."

"Thanks, Gabriel."

Gabriel smiled, "Thank me _after_ I cash in my favors."

The next thing she knew, Zoe stood in front of Bobby's house. One thing the show underestimated was the side effects of flying Angel Airlines. Zoe leant against the porch as she tried to regain sensation in her legs. Her lungs greedily took in the oxygen that had been taken from them so suddenly.

Once Zoe was sure she wasn't going to pass out, she made her way to Bobby's front door and prepared herself. There was no guarantee Bobby was going to take her back. The Winchesters no doubt told him about what had happened with Gabriel. Perhaps the old hunter would turn her away at the door.

If worse came to worse, Zoe planned to track down Garth. _He_ would take her in.

Bobby answered on the first few knocks, no doubt watching her from his window. His face held no expression and for a moment, Zoe's stomach dropped. This was a bad idea. Bobby wouldn't take her in. Why would he?

"Well?" he asked.

"Can I come in?" she asked. "Or are you going to tell me to fuck off too?"

"How'd you get here so fast?" Bobby asked, looking around for any sign of transportation.

"Castiel dropped me off here," Zoe lied easily.

Bobby accepted the answer and allowed her inside.

"I just got off the phone with Sam and Dean," he said, pulling out a bottle of whiskey.

"Oh," Zoe said, lingering at the door.

"Close the door," Bobby said, motioning for her to take a seat and poured the whiskey in two glasses. "Sit."

Zoe did, keeping her hands on her knees as she faced Bobby. Her heart hammered away at her chest causing her hands to shake and the whiskey to slosh about in the glass Bobby gave her.

"What were you thinking?" He asked her.

Zoe flinched, though Bobby didn't raise his voice. She could tell, however. He was mad. Furious.

"Do you want the whole story?" Zoe asked.

"If that will help me understand why you're working with the Trickster, then yes," Bobby said.

"So, you can lecture me?" Zoe asked.

"So, I can know why you did it," Bobby said. If what you're saying about the TV show is true, then you know what he's capable of."

"You do realize I'm not even old enough to drink, right?" Zoe said.

"And?"

Zoe shrugged, and took a drink, cringing as it burned its way down her throat. Bobby simply poured her another.

"I asked for his help because I know what he's capable of," Zoe said. "I know what he becomes, and it's not a villain. When the boys need his help the most, he pulls through for them. He dies for them, Bobby. He's funny and sweet when you're not fighting him. It's one of the reasons why he's a fan favorite."

Bobby scoffed, "You're pulling my leg."

"I'll tell you the story if you want," Zoe said. "I doubt it'll do much to change it."

Bobby leant back on the chair, watching Zoe expectantly. Zoe placed her glass on the table.

"About a year from now, Sam and Dean are forced to stay in a hotel," Zoe began. "Because a storm caused them to take a detour from the highway, the hotel was the only place they found to spend the night. Turns out the hotel was run by pagan gods, many who were either heads of their pantheons or representing them. They capture Sam and Dean via blood spell thanks to Kali. Then Loki shows up to try and rescue them. He gets caught in the process. He manages to fake his death to escape Kali. Then in turns out that Mercury contacted Lucifer to hand over Sam, his vessel. Sam and Dean manage to escape only because Loki stayed behind to distract Lucifer. He died for them in that hotel."

"Do the boys know that? Does he know that?" Bobby asked.

"Loki doesn't know about his future," Zoe said. "And honestly it's for the best. He's been confirmed dead by the show runners for a while now, but he's been brought back once to trick Castiel."

"You do realize how crazy this sounds," Bobby said.

Zoe smiled. "Trust me, I know. But it's the truth. Loki dies for the Winchesters. He's not the most stellar of people but he's dependable, Bobby. I trust him. I wouldn't place the life of Jack Montgomery in the hands of anyone else, not even Castiel. Loki will keep his end of our deal."

"And what did you offer him?"

"Promised I'd keep his secret. And if he needed me, I'd help him, provided it was reasonable."

"You sound confident he's not going to betray you."

"I trust the Trickster with my life, Bobby. He's not dangerous. Not really. He's troublesome and irritating but not dangerous. The whole Dean thing was to prove a point to Sam. The Winchester's codependency is dangerous. It causes a second Apocalypse, releasing one of the most dangerous monsters of all time, all because they can't stand the thought of losing each other."

"I just hope you know what you're doing kid. Messing with gods is dirty business."

"Trust me. I know."


	6. Hunting A Mexican Monster

**Hello People! I'm not dead. Just been lazy. BUT! I finished this one chapter revolving around my favorite Mexican monster. I got most of the lore from my parents and added some stuff to make it SPN friendly. This chapter will be a bit less humourous than future of previous chapters. It'll probably be the case for most original cases that I write.**

 **ANywho, sorry for the wait guys. I'll have the next chapter up for october. Hopefully. As usual, tell me what you think, what I should improve, get better at, if you like Zoe, hate her, critique me. It really helps**

* * *

Dean wrinkled his face in disgust when he smacked a mosquito on his arm, leaving a red stain in his hand. He hated being in the humidity. All he wanted was to quickly finish this case and go somewhere humidity was a foreign concept.

They were sitting in a small open-air restaurant nestled in a Latino community. They got looks from passers-by though Dean ignored them. He didn't blame them. Two tall white men in suits arrive in their small little town? Bound to get stares.

"So what are we looking for?" Dean asked.

"Not sure," Sam said, looking through newspaper clippings. "I'd say werewolf but there aren't any hearts missing. Last body was mauled to death."

"Rugaru?" Dean asked.

"Probably. Or a demon deal."

Dean ignored the way Sam's shoulder's fell at the reminder of the Rugaru. He'd ignored the way his brother looked to the backseat expectantly only to find it empty. Did Dean regret his decision to kick the girl out? No, he didn't. The girl had it coming to her for dealing with monsters.

"She might have some information it," Sam said. "Zoe's seen the show. She knows about all the monsters we'll face or have faced. She probably knows what we are dealing with. And she speaks Spanish."

"No. No way in hell."

"Dean—"

"No, Sam."

Sam turned away, looking through the clippings again.

"Well," Sam said, "as far as I can it's nocturnal and it steals children. Kills the adults and partially eats them."

"Well let's see our first victim then," Dean said, standing up. "This…uh… Hernan Garza."

"It's pronounced without the H, Dean."

Dean however, didn't care and was already on his way to the impala. Sam followed suit, tossing away their trash. The drive to the morgue was quiet and tense, though neither brother broke the silence.

The coroner welcomed them warmly, speaking in accented English. He led them to where he had the bodies of the victims.

"I don't understand why the FBI is interested in a dog attack," the coroner said. "Don't you have to worry about the missing kids?"

Sam and Dean shared a confused look before Dean said, "Right. The missing kids. We just want to be sure that this case isn't related."

"Dog attack?" Sam asked, frowning. "Are you sure?"

The coroner nodded and said, "Yes. A very large dog judging by the bites and scratches. Too big to be a coyote."

"What about a wolf?" Sam asked.

The coroner shook his head, "There aren't any wolves in the area."

"Was there anything missing from the body?" Dean asked.

"Missing?"

"Like his heart?" Sam offered.

"No. He was simply mauled to death."

The coroner took his leave due to the amount of paperwork he had to do, leaving the boys alone with the body. They confirmed the coroner's report. No heart missing. No brain. Apart from being mauled, there wasn't anything to indicate that the body was killed by anything supernatural.

"Maybe it isn't a case," Sam said.

"Doesn't hurt to double check," Dean replied.

When an examination of the victim didn't yield any results, the boys decided to check with the families. Perhaps this was a demon deal. The families however, didn't tell them anything worth of value that could imply that this case was anything involving the supernatural. Investigations on the man's finances and personal didn't tell them anything either.

"Mrs. Garza, was your husband acting strange before he died?"

Mrs. Garza looked at Dean in confusion and shook her head. "No," she said. "I would have known if something was wrong with him. We have been married for twenty years now."

"Can you describe that night?" Sam asked.

"We heard the boys scream," Mrs. Garza said, her hands trembling as she continued. "Hernan went to see what was going on and…next I know he had the gun in his hand and yelling at us to lock the doors. I never got a look at what it was."

"Can we speak to your sons?" Sam asked.

Even questions regarding the missing children suggested they should leave the case to the actual authorities. There was absolutely nothing to suggest this case had any supernatural element in it. The police were more than happy to hand them the files on the children and the mauling victim. Unfortunately, Sam found little correlation or reason to suggest the kids were involved in anything supernatural. Friends and family all insisted their children weren't a part of some cult.

"Let's call Bobby," Sam said. "Maybe he'll have an idea on what it is we are dealing with."

Dean agreed, and took out his phone.

"Bobby Singer's. This is Zoe speaking."

"Where's Bobby?" Dean asked, managing to keep his voice calm. Didn't he already get rid of the kid? Sam gave him a look of confusion. Dean mouthed, "It's the kid."

"Out," Zoe said. "What d'ya want, squirrel?"

"Excuse me?"

Sam sensed an argument and took the phone from Dean, and said, "Hello?"

"Moose, heya," Zoe chirped cheerfully. "Bobby's out. So, what do you need?"

"Working a case," Sam said, "but we aren't sure if we even have one."

Dean gave Sam a look of incredulous betrayal. They were supposed to be on the same team, dammit! This meant the girl stayed far away from them. Her and her trickster boyfriend. Far away where they wouldn't hurt people. Sam ignored him and placed her on speaker.

"What're the deets?"

"Give me a second," Sam said, as he pulled the file out of Dean's hands, giving him a bitch face when Dean refused. "We have a victim who was mauled by a large dog. Possibly a wolf, but the coroner isn't sure."

"Did you make sure it wasn't a demon deal?" Zoe asked. "Does the wife remember the husband, or people acting like they snapped out of some spell? Finances take a dip?"

"Nope," Sam said.

"Alright…."

Sam heard the tapping of keys and Zoe said, "What about missing persons?"

"Do you think they have anything to do with the case?" Sam asked.

"Depends on who's missing."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"Well," Zoe said, "there's this story my parents used to tell me back home."

"We aren't interested in your bedtime stories, kid," Dean said earning himself a look from Sam.

"You'll be interested in this one, Dean," Zoe said.

"What's the story?" Sam asked, bringing the conversation back on track, and avoiding another spat between the two.

"Back in Mexico," Zoe said, "there's this story about a dog called a Nahual. It's this sort of supernatural being, similar to a skinwalker but not really. Some legends say it's a witch who can take the form of an animal but prefers that of a dog. According to legend, the Nahual steals children. Possibly to eat them or use them in a ritual."

"You think it's a shape shifting witch?" Dean asked, incredulous.

"Well I don't see you coming up with any great ideas," Zoe shot back.

"Is there any way to identify the Nahual?" Sam asked.

"That I can tell? No. Best guess is that you are going to have to find its lair and kill it. Silver bullet should do the trick. Or decapitation."

"Thanks, Zoe. We'll keep you updated."

Sam ended the call and turned to his brother, who was remaining, stubbornly annoyed with the girl. Sam shot him a look, before pulling out his laptop and began researching the Nahual. His brother sighed, and muttered something about getting a drink, leaving Sam alone in the motel room.

Dean grumbled the entire way to the Impala. Leave it to Sam to trust the kid. A kid. A girl who is not even old enough to drink, who Sam had known for a few months. And he _trusted_ her? Dean shook his head, as he picked out the keys to the impala. As he opened the impala, movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention. His curiosity peaked, and he went to investigate. Dean made sure his handgun was loaded before he placed it in its holster. A large dog barked and growled threateningly, and a child screamed out for help.

Dean broke into a run, skidding around the corner, but only managed to see a large bounding figure disappear into the forest, and out of his range. A woman screamed and Dean turned around to see why she was screaming.

"Shit."

Her car was destroyed. Whatever it was that Dean had heard, it was strong. The car was dented. The passenger door was ripped open, the handles bent as if it had been ripped off with bare hands. The glass had been shattered, lying scattered in the pavement and the scratched-up seats.

"My baby! My baby!" the woman continued to scream. "He's gone! Oh God! Oh God!"

* * *

Zoe closed her eyes and leant back on the porch swing, absently petting the stray cat that she had been feeding and bribing with treats. Bobby hadn't yet chased it off, so Zoe guessed she could keep it. The cat purred as she scratched it behind the ears. It was a short haired black cat with brilliant yellow eyes. It meowed to be let in if Zoe was in the house for too long, and only ate wet food, much to Bobby's annoyance.

The autumn cool air made Sioux Falls a bit more tolerable. The trees had already begun to turn brown and red and yellow, throwing the forest around them in a beautiful array of colours. Zoe wondered if she should buy groceries for dinner. Bobby often complained that she had spoiled him with her Mexican cooking. The two took great joy in challenging the other to eat spicy food.

Bobby walked outside, pulling up a chair behind him, and a beer in his hand.

"Any luck with the case the boys have?" Zoe asked.

"Another kid was taken," Bobby said, "and in broad daylight, too."

Zoe shook her head, "I told them it was probably a Nahual. It's the only dog like creature that I can think of that takes children."

Bobby grunted, "I've come across one of those in Mexico."

"Seriously?"

Bobby took a drink, and said, "A hunter friend called me to help with children disappearing in the small area. We found it hidden in some cave systems, and the kids in these cages. One of the caves…." Bobby took a deep drink, and shook his head. "Those poor kids. It had been doing this for decades if the little graves were anything to go by. This one though," Bobby said, "this one is getting spotted. He's making mistakes. And that will get him caught."

"What other cases have you done in Mexico?" Zoe asked.

"Well there was this witch in Mexico City…"

* * *

Sam examined the dented car in the police station, comparing the scratch marks to the growing catalog of creatures in his mind, but neither of them matched. It looked like animal marks but no animal could damage a car to the extent that this car had been damaged. Zoe's suggestion of the Nahual seemed more interesting.

"Is there anything else you need, agent?" the young officer asked. He had hung back as he watched the FBI agent examine the car.

"Yes," Sam said. "Can I see your files on the missing children?"

"Of course. Right away."

Dean walked towards him, adjusting the tie around his neck. He had been talking with the owner of the car, but he didn't get much. The store security cameras were too grainy and dark to make out anything more than a humanoid shape. He briefed Sam on his findings.

"I think Zoe might be right," Sam said.

"Sam."

"I don't see you coming up with any other ideas."

"Fine. I'll call Bobby."

Bobby picked up after a few rings.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Hey Bobby," Dean said, relieved it was Bobby and not the girl. "Listen I need your help figuring out this case."

"The kid told you it was a Nahual, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. Sam thinks so too," Dean said. "We just don't know how to find it and kill it."

"Nahuals are essentially shape shifting witches," Bobby explained. "And they like isolated areas where they can work. In Mexico, I killed one in a cave system using a regular bullet, but be careful. They won't go down without a fight and they will get a few hits in. I emptied a full clip into it before it finally went down. Best find yourself a nice isolated place. Chances are you'll find your Nahual."

"Alright. Thanks Bobby."

" _is that Sam?"_

Dean paused at the sound of Zoe on the other end of the line.

"It's Dean," Bobby replied.

" _Tell him to tell Sam I said hi."_

"You get that?" Bobby asked Dean.

"Yeah. I got it," Dean said.

So, the girl was still mad at him. The feeling was mutual. The Rugaru case was still brought up by Sam who tried to explain that they made the right choice. If the experiment didn't work, then the Rugaru could be killed. It was the only part of the plan that Dean liked, but he hated the wait.

"What did Bobby say?" Sam asked.

"That you're right. That the kid is right," Dean replied, with some annoyance. "It's a Nahual. We're hunting a Mexican monster. According to Bobby we need to find an isolated place to find our shape shifting witch and the kids should be somewhere around there. "

Dean sat down on the couch with a huff, not meeting Sam's worried eye. He didn't need Sam's overbearing-self. He needed a beer, a nice strong beer.

"Dean."

"Forget about it, Sammy."

Despite how badly Sam wanted Dean to talk, Dean's tone left little room for argument. Besides, they had more important things to worry about, like catching the Nahual before it was too late. Their only advantage was that the monster seemed to be new to the area and thus hadn't yet become familiar with the rhythm of the small town. The brothers were banking on using the Nahual's unfamiliarity in a new hunting ground against it.

* * *

"Sugarcakes."

Zoe turned to give Gabriel a strange look. "Sugarcakes? Really? That's what you come up with?"

"Pumpkin? Honey? Sweet cheeks? Muffin? Sugar? Mooncake?"

"And now I'm hungry."

Gabriel grinned, laughing when Zoe tossed a pillow at him. Zoe rolled her eyes and returned to her reading. Earlier that week, the girl had raided Bobby's library and begun reading through the various books on monsters Bobby had. She'd also bought a scanner and had begun to store Bobby's notes and some of the smaller books into a disk. Once the technology caught up, Zoe planned to transfer that information into a usb. So far, she'd bought multiple disks, each holding Bobby's notes and scanned copies of books. Bobby's computer also had an updated copy of the books Zoe had so far scanned. It gave her something to do, at least until she found another hobby to keep her occupied.

Bobby had left to buy groceries and later fix someone's car. Thus, Gabriel decided that he would keep Zoe company, though his idea of keeping her company differed from Zoe's. Already five minutes since his arrival, Gabriel decided he was going to find a nickname for Zoe. Zoe's opinion in the matter was irrelevant.

"You think Dean will forgive me?"

"Is that what keeps you up at night?"

"It's a genuine question, Gabriel."

Gabriel paused, his brow furrowing as he tried to think of an answer. After a long pause, he said, "Maybe? I'm not exactly well-versed in the Winchester language of forgiveness. He hasbeen known to hold a grudge."

"Yeah."

Zoe leaned back on the couch, her hair falling over the couch. She blew away some stray hairs from her face, and closed her eyes.

"Is it wrong that I gave an alternative to killing Mr. Montgomery?" Zoe asked.

"Kiddo, you shouldn't worry about that. Who cares what they think?"

"I care," Zoe said. "They're my favorite characters, Gabriel. And I messed up and now they don't like me."

"They're more than tv characters now, kid. They're real life people now. You gotta treat them as such. I don't think you should apologize though. You did what you thought was right. It's not that different from what they do."

"Sometimes I forget you're the patron saint of communication."

"It comes with it's perks. I always know exactly what to say."

"Ha!"

"I do!"

"Sure."

The tell-tale sign of tires on gravel brought their attention to the driveway. Bobby pulled up into the driveway signaling Gabriel's cue to leave.

Surprisingly, Bobby hadn't been all too bothered with the Trickster, though Zoe noticed he had still left a stake in her room just in case. Gabriel had taken great amusement in the thing, knowing it was ineffective. Even then, Zoe appreciated Bobby's worry. Bobby for his part hadn't seen the trickster since the events at the college, and had only heard from Sam about the events during mystery spot. Gabriel had no qualms with leaving before Bobby got back, though that was a reunion Zoe was curious to witness.

* * *

Dean slapped his arm, wiping away the blood and mosquito on his jeans. They trudged along the dense forest around the small town. It was unusually quiet, not even the birds dared chirp. The very forest seemed to tell them to get out. Dean hated it.

"According to the forest ranger the caves are a few minutes that way," Sam said, holding the map they'd gotten from the ranger.

The ranger had believed their story about planning to go spelunking and was more than happy to direct them towards the caves.

Dean wiped another dead mosquito on his pants, "Better not be too far. I'm getting eaten alive here."

When they arrived at the cave systems, the two brothers drew their weapons and slowly crept inside. Not even a few feet inside, the smell of rot and death assaulted their noses causing them to gag and nearly turn back. Nevertheless, they moved forward. They quickly found the source of the smell.

A bear lay on its side. It looked like it had been eaten, though maggots now wriggled between the carcass, and flies buzzed around it. Sam walked closer towards the carcass to examine it, and found signs of a fight.

"Look," Sam said pointing to the deep scratches in what was left on the bear's face and body. "He didn't go down without a fight."

"So, our monster can take down a fucking bear. Wonderful."

"It might be injured," Sam mused. "Might make it easier to take out."

Dean scoffed, and moved ahead, eager to get away from the bear. Small bones littered the way, breaking under his boot. As they walked further, they found more signs that the cave had been lived in, and recently too.

"Something is definitely living here," Dean said.

They heard rustling and movement. Guns in hand, they moved forward, to investigate. Sam shined a flashlight in the general direction of the noise.

"Dean!"

It was a boy. A little boy in what looked to be a large cage. There were more children. All of them if Dean wasn't mistaken. They were all dirty, and scared. They trembled as the boys came closer, clinging to each other. Sam moved quickly, cutting away the rope that held the cage door closed.

"We're here to rescue you," Sam said. "We're going to take you back to your moms and dads. Do you want to see them?" The children nodded, and Sam crouched down to eyelevel with the children. "My name's Sam, and this is my brother Dean. He's going to make sure we get out safely, okay?"

They nodded again. The youngest child nearly ran forward and clung to Sam who picked her up. Together, the brothers herded the children towards the entrance of the cave. When they saw the welcoming light of the outside, their exit was suddenly blocked by a large creature.

The children screamed, moving behind Sam. Dean drew his gun, and aimed, before he pulled the trigger, the creature spoke in a raspy voice.

" _Me robas mi comida?_ ¿Mi comida? _¿Tu? ¿El que quebró la primera sella? ¿Y tu hermano, la abominación? Dame mi comida. Y los dejare vivir._ _A ti y tu hermano. ¿Qué dices?"_

Dean looked to Sam for help, but Sam looked just as lost as he was. The nahual growled, a deep guttural sound, and spoke again, but in accented English this time.

"If you leave my food, I let you go free. Reasonable, yes?"

Without a word, the two brothers fired a single shot each at the Nahual. It hissed and lunged forward while Dean kept firing. The children ran back, with Sam managing to keep a hold of the little girl in his arm and the gun on the other.

The Nahual screamed, cursing them in Spanish as it continued to lumber forward. Thinking quickly, Dean grabbed a log from the campfire and threw it at the creature. The creature caught fire almost instantly. In the dancing light, the brothers caught a glimpse of an emaciated creature, with the head of a dog, fur covering its entire body. Its long arms swiped at them again before it screamed it pain as the fire consumed it and it collapsed.

"Fire kills," Dean said. "Remind me to tell Bobby."

"Is it dead?" one of the children asked, slowly.

"Yeah," Dean said, kneeling down, "It's dead. Ready to go see your parents?"

They nodded, and the boys led them through the forest. The sun was beginning to set when they finally made their way back to the town. The police station was closest, and to say they were overjoyed was an understatement. Those whose children was among the rescued cried tears of joy as they embraced their children tightly, as if they would be taken from them again.

The Winchesters took this as their cue to slip out unnoticed.


	7. In which Zoe contributes

**I'm gonna be real messy with the timeline. Just know this episode happens before the black and white episode. I've also had an incredibly busy month, like you wouldn't believe! But I've decided to recycle chapters. With a few edits here and there. Hopefully I haven't missed anything.**

 **Extra Long Chapter for you all because it's near the end of the month and I feel bad for not updating much!**

While in Sioux Falls, Zoe spent time in the gun range where the sheriff would also spend some time. It was Sheriff Mills who recommended Zoe get a handgun for protection and even offered to take her gun shopping. Gabriel used some of his own magic and managed to give Zoe a proper identity. Zoe didn't know any of this until the state of South Dakota sent her an ID, and a lot of paperwork Zoe needed to fill out. Bobby didn't even bother trying to help her fill it out. Thus, Zoe sought out Jody to help her.

The Sheriff was more than happy to help her fill out all of the complicated forms. Zoe bemoaned the fact she'd have to fill out taxes. She supposed, however, if she was going to live here, she might as well make sure she exists. Even then, she had Gabriel help her understand some of the forms that were too complicated for her.

It was near then end of the September when Bobby and Sam finally convinced Dean to let Zoe go on a hunt with them. Bobby found them a small haunting in Texas, and suggested they take her on it since it was a low risk hunt and wouldn't put her in a lot of danger.

Dean kept his interactions with her to a minimum, and focused his attention on Sam and Bobby. The latter two were annoyed with this, but didn't bother and Zoe didn't seem to care either way. While at Bobby's, the brothers did some minor research on the house so they would know what they were getting themselves into. The house owners had contacted a hunter friend of Bobby's who in turn contacted the boys. The hunter in the area was dealing with another hunt and didn't have the time. The ghost didn't unsettle Zoe. She dealt with the Witnesses. Ghosts she could handle. It was the location of the hunt that made her anxious.

Houston, Texas was a large city. One of the largest in the state and the country. The hunt could have been in any other location, any house, to anyone, but it had to be in that city. Zoe could feel cold dead creeping up her spine, her blood running cold as Bobby gave the address to the haunting, confirming her worst fears. The house was her neighbor's home. Zoe hoped (prayed) that in things would be different in this world, perhaps a few things changed, and she wouldn't have to confront her still painful past. She had made it this far without much of a breakdown, but Zoe wondered if the visit to Houston would be enough to bring the dam down.

She managed to hide it from Bobby and Sam. Zoe thanked their inability to read her, and her ability to hide her emotions. Hiding it from Gabriel would be another matter entirely since the angel was incredibly good at reading her. Zoe wondered if this had anything to do with the fact that Gabriel was her patron saint back home.

"You okay?" Sam asked after he noticed Zoe's tense silence. His eyes widened, and he cursed though he got no reaction from Zoe who seemed to be staring at nothing, deep in thought.

"What?" Dean asked, confused at his brother's reaction.

"Zoe's from Houston," Sam explained. "Taking her now might bring back some memories. I don't think she thinks she's ready for that. Are there any other hunts, Bobby?"

"I can check," Bobby said. "Don't expect me to come up with something right away though."

"No," Zoe said, her voice shaking.

"Zoe, are you sure?" Sam asked.

She nodded, "I need to do this. I mean, it's not like it's home, right?"

Sam didn't seem convinced and glanced at Bobby who just shrugged. If Zoe wanted to go, then what say did they have? Sam didn't want to put her through more strain, especially since the trip would already be difficult given her still tense relationship with Dean. He hated being the mediator between his brother and the girl he'd come to see as a good friend, maybe a little cousin.

..

They stopped twice on their way to Texas, and all the while Zoe prayed they wouldn't go there. She ate in silence which did little to dissuade Sam's worried looks.

"If you don't want to come, then we can drop you off," Sam said. "There's a hunter who lives not too far from here."

"I'm fine, Sam. Promise."

Dean muttered under his breath, unconvinced with her. Sam shot him a look before turning his attention back to Zoe. She had taken to staring at the blurry trees of the forest. Sometimes the trees would give way to a small town, and it would be gone just as quickly. Most of the drive was quiet. Zoe didn't want to risk angering Dean any further since he had put up the most protest against her joining them. Sam was the only one who she talked with. The two became wrapped into a deep conversation on gender and hunting. Dean got uncomfortable when Zoe brought up the fact that in the show women were treated as nothing more than damsels in distress who's only other purpose is to have sex with the boys.

…

Why was she dreading it? She had nothing to fear, not really.

Her parents probably didn't even know her, and her friends probably thought she was some sort of weirdo. Well, they weren't really her friends if they didn't know she existed, or her parents if they technically didn't raise her.

She could do it.

They didn't know her, so there wasn't really nothing for her to worry about. This was just her worrying over nothing.

Her stomach didn't unclench; if anything the knot tightened, and Zoe fought the urge to throw up. She doubted Dean would appreciate it, especially in the car.

Deep breaths.

She was strong. Nerves of steel, her mom used to say. Zoe could live through anything, even the goddam apocalypse if she needed to.

Zoe frowned slightly as they entered the Houston city limits. She sat up straighter, and turned a critical eye towards the city, a sense of familiarity washing over her.

Home. She was home. They passed through the downtown area, and Zoe looked up at the skyscrapers, recognizing the Jones Hall, the hospitals, the zoo. Nothing had changed. True this was Houston in 2008, but it was all there. Her stomach twisted and tightened further. She was home. She didn't have to try too hard to pretend that it was home.

"I'm guessing you recognize this place?" Dean asked.

Zoe nodded, "It's not too hard not to reco

She trailed off, biting her lip slightly as her heart clenched.

Right. Not home. Not her real one anyway.

Sam looked apologetic, "Zoe. I'm sorry. We should have asked-"

Zoe waved him off, "It's fine, Sam. I kinda missed being here. Besides, it's not like I told you. And it's not like I'm in unfamiliar territory. Especially in this neighborhood" she motioned around her, "They won't trust official looking white guys. No offense, but the cops aren't necessarily nice here. Feds are just going to send some people running."

The rest of the ride was silent, broken only when Zoe recognized a building and regaled the boys with stories of her childhood. The boys checked into a motel before they headed to the police station where Bobby had called in beforehand. While the boys changed into their suits, Zoe kept glancing outside, eager to be out and explore the city. This part she recognized easily. Her dad had often driven past here in the morning on the drive to school.

Zoe passed the time rifling through John's journal, skimming through the pages until she found the ghost hunts. It was...enlightening to say the least, especially now that she was in one. The boys had gone to the police station to see the reports and get more information on the hunt. Zoe stayed in the hotel room, half listening to the television while reading John Winchester's notes on a ghost hunt. It was helpful to learn the man's tactics and mostly Zoe wondered if they would be dealing with the garden variety spirit or if it would be a poltergeist. Vengeful spirits she could do, but the murderous version of Peeves? No thank you.

She sighed, and leaned back on the seat, before she considered calling Castiel or Gabriel for a chat. The archangel liked to talk to her, finding it a welcome distraction from his usual duties as a trickster god. Though he didn't often show up because of those duties.

Zoe briefly wondered if she should get a journal. Or a diary.

"Hey Gabe," she said, closing her eyes, "Me again. You're not gonna show up anytime soon are at ya?" She paused, listening for any changes, and continued, "Yeah didn't think so. So anyway, update on my life. The boys let me join them on a hunt, picked a nice haunting in Houston, only problem is that I'm from here.

"You know how hard it is? Going back to the place that was home but now it isn't? Course you never went back, and I don't blame ya. I mean, half the time I didn't even want to think of home because it hurts. My Mom. My Dad. My sisters and dorky little brother. I'm not going to see them again, and..." she laughed, wiping a few stray tears from her eyes, "Well, it's stupid. I keep thinking someone's going to recognize me and I'll be stuck having to explain why I'm hanging out with two adult men rather than be in college. I'd be labeled a runaway or something. I'm sure I don't exist here, or my parents. But it feels so familiar, you know? Like I can pretend I'm back home, back in my own reality and this was nothing but a really long dream." she glanced out the window, "Anyway, the boys are coming. Talk to you later."

Sam and Dean walked into the kitchen, case files in hand. Sam called her over and the three of them began to look over the case file. Dean almost made a comment on Zoe going through John's journal, but Sam gave him a sharp look. Zoe needed something to keep her mind off of things, and if going through their father's journal gave her something to do, Sam wasn't going to stop her.

Sam opened the file, and pulled out crime scene phontes, "A Lidia Smith was found dead two days ago in her bedroom. No signs of break-in. Police think suicide."

"But?" Zoe asked.

"According to her friends and family, Lidia was a very cheerful person," Dean said, "Led a happy life. No signs of depression. Wasn't seeing a therapist."

Zoe nodded, and frowned, "Wait...Lidia?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah. Why?

"She was my neighbor," Lidia said, "Did she had curly hair, tattoo on her back, and an infinity sign on her upper arm?"

"You know her?" Dean asked, frowning.

"Well she and her family moved out a few years ago," Zoe said, "I heard my mom once say that the house was haunted."

"Huh," Sam said, "Anything else?"

"Well I know for a fact that I'm going to be joining you on the interviews." Dean opened his mouth to protest but Zoe cut him off, "Any of you fluent in Spanish? Like you can make yourselves coherent enough to speak Spanish? A year of Spanish doesn't count Sam. That was like what? Four five years ago?"

"I don't think the language barrier is going to be an issue," Dean said.

" _Eso es lo crees, no? ¿Haber pues, me puedes entender, Winchester? ¿Oh no lo vas a decir por qué te crees muy macho? ¿Te_ _crees_ _muy_ _machon no_ _?"_

Dean blinked at the rapid fire Spanish Zoe threw at him. Sam who only caught half of what Zoe said, kept quiet. Both of the Winchesters knew she hadn't said anything nice. Both of them shared a look, but didn't say anything. Zoe crossed her arms and raised a smug eyebrow.

"Fine," Dean said, "but you do as we say, got it?"

Zoe rolled her eyes, "Roger that, boss."

…

Cold fear began to course through her body as the streets became more familiar. Zoe stared out the window. There's the Ninfa's restaurant her aunt worked at. They gave out good candy on Halloween. There's the place the school bus dropped her off. There's her church. Zoe arched her neck to look at the large fountain and the statue of the Lady of Guadalupe. There was her street.

Zoe rested her chin on her fist, heart hammering away.

There was her house.

"Hey," Sam said, shaking her out of her trance, "You okay?"

Zoe took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before she answered.

"Look," Sam said, "If you don't want to do this, then we can find another hunt, a few states away if you want. You know, make it easier."

"I'm okay," Zoe said, "Just my luck for my first hunt to be where I was raised."

The last part was muttered, but the boys heard it all the same. They shared a look, holding a silent argument with each other while trying to figure out what to do.

"Zoe-"

"I'm fine," she snapped, "Let me introduce you to my neighbors."

She could see them, her neighbors, looking in their direction, at the professional looking men and the small girl trailing behind them, refusing to look anywhere else but ahead. Her uncle, staring at them while he ushered Zoe's cousins into the house. Her sister's godmother, watching her with a critical eye. Their eyes were on her. She could see as recognition flashed in their eyes. The godmother retreated into her house, phone already in hand.

And her mother. Zoe spotted her, looking through the blinds while three small dogs barked in their direction. If she could, Zoe would have yelled at them to be quiet, or called their names in hopes that they would recognize her, but they didn't. She could already hear the calls. Did you see the two suits? That girl. She's Mexican. She looks like your daughter. Don't look. Go to your room. Poor Lidia, and her poor mother. They'll be having the funeral soon.

Zoe knocked on the door, and greeted the woman with a smile. Mrs. Garcia, her neighbor before she moved that is, opened the door and studied her and the Winchesters warily. An elderly woman, mid-sixties, her hair tied in a messy bun, and wearing an apron. She was preparing for the vigil of her daughter.

"Mrs. Garcia?" Zoe asked in Spanish, and the woman nodded, I'm Zoe and these are Agents Miller and Smith from the FBI." The brothers flashed their badges, "We're here about you daughter, Lidia."

Mrs. Garcia frowning in confusion, "But I already talked with the police."

"We just want to confirm your story and ask some questions of our own," Sam said in heavily accented Spanish.

Zoe resisted the urge to face palm at said Spanish. She shared a look with Mrs. Garcia, raising her eyebrows slightly before entering the house, glancing at the green walls occasionally, but found nothing of interest. They were led to a green living room with aged furniture, and sat down at the largest couch.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Mrs. Garcia asked.

Zoe repeated the question and the boys declined. They turned their attention to Mrs Garcia, who had ushered everyone out of the living room, and into the other rooms.

"Mrs. Garcia," Dean said, "What can you tell us about your daughter?

Zoe translated, and repeated Mrs. Garcia's answer, "She says Lidia was a good girl. She always did good at school and even at work, she never caused any trouble. She says that something killed her."

"Do you have any idea what?" Sam asked.

"The woman in white!" Mrs. Garcia cried out, "She took my daughter!"

Dean exchanged a look with Sam who was frowning.

"Uh Zoe?"

"She says the woman in white took her daughter," Zoe said.

As if to prove her claim, Mrs. Garcia rolled up her sleeves to show them five long scratches on her arm. Zoe frowned and turned to the brothers, unsure of what to do. Sam leaned forward and inspected the scratches, comparing them with his own fingers.

"Where did you get these?" he asked.

"The woman," Mrs Garcia said, rolling her sleeve down "She attacked me at night when I stopped her from harming Lidia."

"Why would the woman in white harm you and your daughter?" Sam asked.

Mrs. Garcia shook her head, dissolving into sobs, claiming that the woman in white was simply a bad spirit, and didn't care who she harmed. Dean excused himself to the restroom while Zoe stayed behind with Sam. Mrs. Garcia showed them Lidia's room, which had been blocked off by the police. Zoe poked her head inside, and saw a bloody mattress on the bare bed frame. Sam studied the bed closely, and made a small motion to Zoe who nodded.

"Could we go back to the living room?" Zoe asked.

There the two quickly slipped into easy small talk, with Mrs. Garcia asking Zoe about what it was like to work with the FBI. Zoe lied easily, claiming that translating was a side job for her until she returned to college. Mrs. Garcia called one of her sons, Simon, and told her that he too was in college.

Unfortunately for Zoe, the boys where done too quickly for her to have a proper conversation with Simon, and left.

…

"Oh man, this is delicious."

Zoe raised an amused eyebrow as Dean ate his pupusas, at Zoe's recommendation. They had stopped by a small food truck, after listening to Zoe's raving reviews, and went back to what they knew about what happened.

"Did you get any EMF readings during your little exploration?" Sam asked.

"Yup," Dean said, "Definitely a spirit."

"But who?" Sam thought for a moment before turning to Zoe, "Has anyone died in that house?"

Zoe thought for a moment, "That I know of, no. My mom said that the ghost attacked one of the daughters, always a specific one and left bruises and scratches until Mrs. Garcia drove her off."

"And your mom knows this because-?"

"The secret of woman's gossip, Dean," Zoe said with a smirk, "The neighborhood is small enough that we know everything there is to know about anyone. Like how I know for a fact a stakeout will be impossible because they'd spot your car right away. Any new car and no one will be coming out unless they have to."

"Why would they do that?" Sam asked.

Zoe sighed, "Y'all deal with a lot of white people, right?"

"You bringing race into this?" Dean asked.

The teenager rolled her eyes, "Dean, you're parked in the East End of Houston, one of the biggest Latino communities in the city, in a state known for being rather prejudiced, yes I'm bringing race into this. You are a white man, and a government agent according to them. They're not going to risk anything if they see you or Sam there, no offense Sammy, but I can hear not-Dad making a comment on your height."

They were silent, as they mulled this over.

"So what do we do?" Sam asked. "You know this neighborhood better than we do. What do you suggest?"

Zoe closed her mouth and frowned. She hadn't really thought about that, especially since the boys were usually the ones with a plan.

"Well," Zoe said, "I can give you the schedules, and the best times to check out the place if you really need to."

"Which are?" Dean asked.

"Between noon and two on weekdays," Zoe answered, "There's hardly any cars there, but the dogs will raise the alarm so you'll have to work quickly. Mom's a stay at home spouse, and I'm betting so's this one, so one of us will have to distract her so she doesn't see you breaking into her neighbor's house."

Dean raised an eyebrow, impressed, "For someone who doesn't go out much you sure know a lot about what goes on in the neighborhood."

Zoe grinned proudly. They returned to the motel to research, well Sam and Zoe researched while Dean prepared the salt rounds, but after twenty minutes he got bored and declared he was going to take a nice long shower, and left Sam and Zoe alone. Zoe returned to her phone, continuing to search the history of the house, as well as of her dead not-neighbor.

"So how are you holding up?"

"Hm?" she glanced up, not catching the question.

Sam had lowered the lid on his laptop, and had turned so he could better talk to Zoe.

"How are you holding up?" he repeated.

Zoe frowned, "What do you mean? I'm fine."

The youngest Winchester shook his head, "A hunt where you were raised, right in your own neighborhood? And you're fine?"

"Hell of a coincidence if you ask me," Zoe said, scrolling through the information on her phone. Sam continued to wait, and Zoe sighed, "What, Sam? What do ya want me to say? I show up moments before you drive up with the Impala at the very motel you were holed up in, and somehow I survived living with you, and then the Witnesses which I still don't know how I survived, and-and my first real hunt is in a city I both dreamed and dreaded to visit? I don't know why I'm here Sam. Cas doesn't know. Ga- The Trickster doesn't know what I should do. I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing!

"A-am I supposed to be helping you or...or stopping you?" she took a shaky breath, "I don't know. Fate is real. I know that. Atropos is real. Her sisters are real. So did I majorly piss them off? And I can't go home, Sam. I tried."

"What do you mean you tried?" Sam interrupted.

"A spell," Zoe said, "It was when you where gone for that week, when we stayed at that old house. I got my hands on the ingredients for this spell an angel uses to send you two to an alternate world. It doesn't work, Sam. I can't go home, and now God, who I'm guessing is merely sitting back and watching all this unfold, isn't letting me leave. It hurts Sam. My neighbors don't recognize me. The dog I raised since it was a newborn doesn't recognize me. I'm no one, and I hang out with you and Dean, and...and I feel like I'm just the third wheel or something, and both of you are wonderful, putting up with me despite my lack of contribution."

And cue the waterworks. It was bound to happen, she reasoned. Sam could always figure out when she was on the brink of collapsing under the emotional weight. Surprisingly, he never used it to his advantage, and for that Zoe was glad. He never did find out how that door got broken after he came back from that hunt, and Zoe swore up and down she hadn't the faintest clue. He never left her alone for longer than three days after that.

"We don't put up with you," he said after a silence, "Hell, you've been helpful even when we don't listen to you. You where right about the angel pulling Dean out of Hell, the Witnesses, and the Seals. I don't know how what it's like to go back home knowing it's not home, and I can't imagine what it must feel like, but you can't just keep this bottled up. It's not healthy. If you're not comfortable with the hunt, like Dean said, we can find another possible hunt, but you have to tell us, alright? Like you said, we're all you got."

Sam pulled her into a hug, which Zoe returned, burying her face into his shoulder. He had learned fairly easy that Zoe liked physical contact from people she knew, but never started it. Hugging it out always seemed to work, especially during Zoe's first few weeks, and she always hugged as if it was the last hug she'd ever get. And when Dean exited the shower, Sam dared him to say something, but the elder Winchester didn't, preferring to give them their privacy on the pretense that they needed more beer.

…

Zoe opened her eyes, taking in a deep breath as her eyes focused on the blurry face of Dean Winchester. Once her mind began to properly work again, Zoe frowned, squinting slightly.

"Dean?" she glanced at the bed to find Sam missing. "Where's Sam?"

"Out getting food," Dean said, and then he frowned slightly, "You okay?"

She nodded, and arched her back, stretching her arms as she did so, and reached for her glasses. Dirty again. As she cleaned them, Dean took a seat on couch.

"Look," Dean said, "I know we haven't had time to bond and stuff, but you know you can tell me or Sam anything, right?"

"I know," Zoe said, "but are you going to tell Sam about Hell anytime soon?"

"You know about that?" said Dean hesitantly.

"Hello, Supernatural Fangirl," Zoe said motioning to her face, not unlike the Trickster, "I know everything. I'm like God or something."

Dean chuckled.

"So are you going to tell him?" Zoe asked.

The elder Winchester, the most beloved of any character in the show, didn't answer. Zoe sighed, "He's going to find out, you know. If not from you, then from someone else. Hey, don't give me that look, I'm not telling him, but he's going to find out Dean. It's better you tell him before someone else does."

"I am," Dean said, though Zoe could feel a but coming, "just not right now."

"I graduated from the Dean Winchester school of bottling up my feelings," Zoe muttered, though Dean heard her, and so explained, "It's a tumblr thing. Your whole character arc revolves around you bottling up your feelings. It ain't healthy."

"Now you sound like Sam," Dean said, though there was no anger in his voice.

At that moment Sam entered the room with breakfast tacos. Zoe immediately made grabby hands at the tacos, maturity be damned and claimed the bacon and egg pair while giving Dean the rest.

"What took you?"

"I was checking out the history of the house," Sam said, pulling out a manila folder, "And turns out that a lady did die there."

"Let me guess," Dean said, "Murdered?"

"Yep," Sam said, pulling out a second file, this one older, and more yellowed, "Police arrested her boyfriend and charged him with murder after Vivian Morales was found drowned in her bathtub."

Zoe grimaced, "Where's she buried?"

"Glen wood cemetery," Sam said.

"Should we check it out?" Zoe asked, "So we don't waste time at night...or do you guys do that already because the show never specified."

"A show about two hunters and they never show you their methods?" Dean asked incredulously.

Zoe shrugged, "Hey, I just watch the show. I don't write it. I always thought you guys winged it."

"When we're not in a hurry, no," Dean clarified.

They spent the rest of their day searching for Vivian Morales's grave, and memorizing the landmarks. And when Zoe got tired of walking on their way back to the car, she climbed onto Sam's back and declared him her horse, much to Dean's amusement. They got stared at, tall man giving a teenager a piggy back ride while another shorter man trailed behind them, laughing his head off.

The rest of the day was spent visiting the places Zoe had pointed out, one of them being a small park she used to go to on Easter. Upon arriving, Zoe had then proceeded to jump on Dean's back, much to the elder Winchester's surprise.

"Are you high?" Dean asked, as he adjusted the teenager on his back.

"I may have had some really sugary treats," Zoe admitted, "Sugar makes me do weird stuff. I'm hyper, Deanerino, and Sammich is carrying the food."

"So?"

"It'd be rude Dean-o," Zoe said simply and raised her fist, "Onward! I see a good spot that-a way."

Surprisingly, Dean could carry her. Unsurprisingly, Zoe refused to let Dean sit.

...

Zoe groaned slightly as her arms began to get sore. She'd forgotten the digging up graves part of the wonderful world of supernatural. The sun had set and the trio got to work. They sneaked into the empty graveyard, with Zoe practically bouncing with excitement. A salt and burn. She almost didn't think this day would come. Of course, to show her that the hunting life wasn't as glamorous as it was made to be, Zoe was given shovel duty with Sam. Stupid Dean, leaning smugly against the stone angel.

Every now and then Zoe would cast a look at the statue, even after she had been assured that weeping angels didn't exist in this world, not that it was very reassuring. Zoe had hoped she could call the Doctor to help her with her predicament.

Either way, Zoe blamed Dean for her sore arms.

"Don't look at me," Dean said, "I didn't want you to get into this life."

She cast him a glare and continued to dig until both she and Sam reached the coffin. Sam broke the wood, and the two of them poured salt and lighter fluid into the coffin before Dean helped Zoe climb out of the six foot hole and Sam threw in the match.

"Dude, you're short," The eldest Winchester commented as Zoe brushed off soil from her pants.

"At least I'm not considered the short one in the show," She remarked.

That shut Dean for a while, and as Zoe made her way to the impala, he turned to his brother, "Your kid's mean, Sam."

The boys dropped her off at the motel with a celebratory frappucino and McDonald's while they themselves went in search of a good bar to celebrate. As usual, Sam had made Zoe promise to keep her phone with her at all times should something happen.

The teenager leaned back on the couch watching Star Trek show re-runs. Halfway during the show, the lights flickered and screen turned to static and a pink screen appeared with the words 'Casa Erotica.' To the reasonable person, this would have been considered freaky at most, and would have gone for the nearest shotgun. Zoe, on the other hand glared at the smug archangel on the screen.

"Dude," she groaned, grimacing in disgust, "Really?"

Gabriel grinned and snapped his fingers, appearing next to Zoe, still looking smug.

"First Salt n' Burn, eh?" Gabriel asked, "How was it?"

"Yup."

Zoe yawned as she tried to look past the dark outlines of the trees. The moon was out, a nice crescent moon, though the stars were more appealing. It was one of the perks of driving around the country at night. Cities had so much light pollution it was considered a miracle if a star shined bright enough to be seen. But out in the country, away from cities, and civilization, it was beautiful. Sam once stopped at a nice clearing and gave her a brief astronomy lesson, pointing out the constellations and some of their history.

They were on their way to Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, a small town in the midst of Oktoberfest and Zoe couldn't have been more excited, not even Dean especially when he heard of the case. Both she and Sam had been rudely woken by Dean and had blearily piled into the Impala. Sam had called beforehand that they would be arriving, not that Zoe cared. She planned on exploring the festival while trying not to get too lost, after a height joke by Dean.

Zoe made sure to 'accidentally' drop her food on the backseat of Baby that day.

"The radio around here sucks," Dean groaned and turned off the radio. "Come on, man. Jobs don't get much sweeter than this, you know? Dead vic with a gnawed-on neck, body drained of blood, and a witness who swears up and down that it was a vampire."

"No," Sam agreed, "I agree. It's a hell of a case."

"A little more gusto, please," Dean said.

"It's just... the world is coming to an end," Sam said, "Things are a little complicated, you know?"

Zoe grunted, and shifted her position so her feet rested on the window.

"Hey, hey," Dean said looking at the rear view mirror, "Get your dirty feet off my window."

Zoe stuck out her tongue, but lowered her feet.

"Yeah, well, we can't save the world," Dean continued, turning to Sam, "not today anyway. But what we can do is chop off some vamps' heads. Come on, man, it's like the good old days, an honest-to-goodness monster hunt. It's about time the Winchesters got back to tackling a straightforward, black and white case."

"He's got a point," Zoe said, "Normal cases become rare especially after season six. Usually the cases have to do with the whole narrative arc of the season. Loner cases tho. I love loner cases. They have a nice simplicity to them."

"Exactly," Dean agreed.

Zoe stared at the roof, listening to her own music, until she got bored.

"Are we there yet?

"No."

A pause.

"Dean-o, I'm bored."

"Shut up."

Silence.

Five minutes later.

"Dean. Dean. Dean. Dean-o. Squirrel. Not Moose. Short one. Deanerino."

"What?"

Zoe grinned, "nothing."

Silence fell once more.

"Dean-"

"If you ask me one more time if we're there yet, or so God help me I will make you walk to Canonsburg."

"I was just going to ask why you don't wear iron rings so you could just punch the ghost and it'd disappear."

Dean said nothing.

"Dean?"

"Zoe," Dean tried to keep his voice calm.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Beside Dean, Sam tried to muffle his laughter, earning him a Dean Winchester Bitchface.

"Really, Sam?" he asked, "Don't encourage her."

"Much anger. Wow. Many stress"

Sam Winchester dissolved into a fit of giggles, leaving a grinning Zoe in his wake.

Silence. And then...

"I need to pee."

...

Zoe took in the sweet autumnal Pennsylvanian air. It smelled of junk food and earth and with a dash of pollution. After an uneventful dream -Gabriel failed to show- and the arrival of a nice cold frappucino with a good American breakfast at the nearest diner, the young adult was ready to take on whatever was thrown in her way. Finally a good ol' festival since the Renaissance festival in Texas she planned to go with her best friend didn't seem to be in her near future. Zoe supposed Oktoberfest with her favorite fictional characters made up for it.

"We still got to see the new Raiders movie," Dean said as they exited the Impala.

"Saw it," Sam said.

Dean stopped, looking at his brother with an incredulous look "Without me?"

"You were in Hell," Zoe said.

Personally she didn't like it. They had gone to the movies after a successful hunt and Zoe almost slept through it. Personally, she preferred The Avengers and Mad Max.

"That's no excuse," Dean argued, earning him a shrug from Zoe.

"Big pretzel!" they said in unison once they spotted the bender and ran off towards their pretzels, leaving an amused Sam behind.

Dean bought one for Sam and Zoe changed her mind and got popcorn instead. She slapped Dean's hand away with a loud hiss and cradled her popcorn closer to her. The eldest Winchester made a face to counter her own.

Sam sighed, "Can you two act like mature adults for two minutes?"

"I'm the youngest, Sammich," Zoe said, "I have every right to cling to my childhood."

Dean pointed to Zoe, "She started it."

Sam shook his head and accepted his pretzel, taking a bite out of it while Zoe went off to explore. She spotted a vendor selling a German sausage, Bratwurst, and bought it, and took a tentative bite and deemed it acceptable before wandering off to other games, not that she wandered for long since straying too far from the Winchesters made her uneasy. At some point during which Zoe tried the rides, Sam called her that he and Dean would be going to the morgue to check the victim before they regrouped at the bar. An hour later he called to tell her that they have returned and to head to the bar. Zoe, unfortunately, had a bad sense of direction, but thankfully, a nice vendor was kind enough to point her to the bar, after Zoe explained she was with her cousin and had gotten separated and in no way wanted to have a drink.

Hunting or no hunting, Zoe refused to touch alcohol.

Sam waved her over when she entered the bar and Zoe squeezed into the seat, plate of Bratwurst in hand. Dean studied the plate curiously.

"Is it good?" Dean asked.

"Hella," Zoe said taking a bite. "How's the case going?"

"The victim has two bite marks on his neck," Sam said, "And the witness claims Dracula did it."

"Dracula," Zoe repeated, raising a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Cape, medallion and everything," Dean added,

"huh," Zoe said frowning, "I think I remember this episode."

"Good, then it's a case," Dean said, "What are we dealing with?"

Zoe furrowed her brow, "I saw this episode only once Dean, but it's not a vampire."

Dean shrugged, deeming the information good enough, and smiled at their waitress, Jamie according to her name tag, who had arrived with the beers.

She placed the large glass of beer in front of Dean,"There you go."

Zoe resisted the urge to vomit at the stench of the alcohol, and declined buying anything. When Jamie turned to Sam, Dean continued his attempts to flirt.

"Oh, he doesn't drink," he said, "He's a Christian scientist. Doesn't even take aspirin. He's a real drag on stakeouts."

Jamie laughed, "You're funny."

"I'm a lot more than that," Dean added. "I'd love to get a chance to show you the rest. What time you get off?"

Zoe face palmed, mouthing a sorry at Jamie. One day. All she wanted was one day of not dying of embarrassment for being associated with playboy Dean Winchester.

Jaime didn't seem all that impressed, and before walking away said, "Ha ha. Like I said, funny."

Dean turned to Sam, grin still on his face, "Man, it is time to right some wrongs."

"Come again?" Sam asked.

"Look at me," Dean motioned to himself I mean, I came back from the furnace without any of my old scars, right? No bullet wounds, knife cuts, none of the off-angled fingers from all the breaks. I mean, my hide is as smooth as a baby's bottom. Which leads me to conclude, sadly... that my virginity is intact."

Zoe choked on a piece of German sausage and Sam shot her another look of concern but she assured him she was fine.

The Moose frowned, "What?"

"I have been re-hymenated," Dean replied.

Zoe dissolved into a coughing fit that sounded suspiciously like a mixture of choking and laughter.

"Re-?" Realization dawned on Sam and he laughed, "Please. Dean, maybe angels can pull you out of hell, but no one could do that."

"I...agree with the Moose," Zoe said, in between coughs.

"Brother, I have been re-hymenated," Dean grinned, "And the dude will not abide."

"All right, dude," Sam said, "You go do whatever you got to do, and I'm gonna go back to the room and get some sleep."

Zoe followed Sam to the Impala. Dean could get a taxi if he wanted to get laid so badly. Sam left to change while Zoe claimed the smallest bed for herself. She smiled in happiness as she enjoyed the sweet sensation of a warm bed underneath her.

...

 _She dreamed she was riding shotgun in the Impala, before Dean's return from hell. The driver, to Zoe's surprise, was Gabriel, and not Sam as she could've sworn was driving a few moments ago._

" _Hey Gabriel," she said._

" _Evening, kiddo," the archangel said, "How's Oktoberfest?"_

" _Dean wants to get laid with our waitress," Zoe said._

" _And what about you?"Gabriel asked._

 _Zoe blinked, "Should I really be having this conversation with an_ archangel _of all people?" she paused, "Then again, you_ are _a porn star. That'll go well with the Pope."_

" _What he doesn't know can't hurt him," Gabriel pointed out, and then turned to Zoe, "Well? Do you or do you not want to get laid?"_

" _I'm asexual," she answered._

 _Gabriel shrugged, "Whatever floats your boat kiddo."_

 _Zoe raised an eyebrow as she studied Gabriel, "You're going to find me someone aren't you?"_

 _the archangel looked appalled, placing a hand over his heart, "Why would_ I ever _do such a thing?"_

" _Because you probably will," Zoe argued._

" _I would never," Gabriel defended, "I'd just send an appropriate human being who is a perfect match."_

 _The teenager sighed, "Why?"_

 _The archangel didn't reply, instead waggling his eyebrows mysteriously while Zoe shook her head._

" _You know you love me," Gabriel grinned._

" _No," Zoe said, "You're annoying and a prick."_

" _But I'm_ your _annoying prick."_

 _Zoe wrinkled her nose, "Now you made it sound like we're dating."_

 _The archangel leaned forward, purposefully smiling knowingly, "Do you wanna?"_

 _The teenager wrinkled her nose and pushed Gabriel away, "Ew. No."_

 _Gabriel leaned back, placing his legs on a table, "So whatcha doing kiddo?"_

" _Waiting for the boys to bring food."_

 _The archangel tilted his head slightly, "That would be them."_

…

Dean's arrival meant food, and the smell of meat was enough to bring Zoe out of her dream. Sam was already up, though he was busy researching so instead Zoe surfed channels while sipping her soda. The elder Winchester plopped right next to her with his burger and the two watched settled on cartoons.

"There's this episode," Zoe said, "Where y'all deal with cartoon logic, season eight I think. And Cas figured he'd become a hunter in that episode, in fact he's the one that finds the case. So Cas being Cas he doesn't know what cartoon logic is-"

"Wait," Dean interrupted, "Cas has never seen a cartoon?"

Zoe shook her head, "He's not well versed in pop culture. Anywho, so you try explaining it and he doesn't understand so you show him some cartoons and he says something about Wile E. Coyote being like humanity and the Roadrunner is God and the cartoon is humanity's chase for understanding the divine and that it's hilarious. He's not wrong. It is hilarious, but not in the sense that you meant."

"Huh," Dean mulled over this, "And do we catch whoever is behind it?"

"Yup," Zoe said, "It was this psychokinetic being used by this other guy. Psych guy refused to be used and makes other guy kill himself, course then psych guy didn't want to be used like that again so Cas removes that part and stays behind to watch over him for a bit."

"Wow," Dean said.

"On Tumblr, the Supernatural fandom is known for having a gif for everything," Zoe said.

"Everything?" Dean asked.

Zoe nodded solemnly, "Every-thing. Ten seasons and over two hundred episodes filled with stuff that can be applied for any and all events."

"Wow."

"I know," Zoe sighed, "We're a crazy fandom. Not as crazy as Superwholock of course. Tumblr makes fun of them."

"Superwholock?" Dean asked, knowing he was probably going to regret the question.

"Supernatural, Doctor Who, and Sherlock," Zoe said, "The Holy Trinity of the Tumblr world, as well the main fandoms. Supernatural reigns supreme what with it being so popular and all. The fans are weird though. Like really _really_ weird. Some people like to provoke them, but we all know that if a movie where to be made where you meet a time traveling alien and a high functioning sociopath detective, we'd all watch it."

Dean frowned, "Why?"

"Because it'd be fun," Zoe grinned, "You and Sam facing off against weeping angels." Dean opened his mouth to ask and Zoe said, "Angelic stone statues that always cover their face and move faster than the blink of an eye, but they can't move if you're looking at them. Blink and you die." Zoe paused for a moment, tapping her chin thoughtfully, "Well, you get sent back in time and the angels feed off your time energy."

"How do you kill them?" Dean asked, hoping to file this away in case they did come across one of the things.

"Well the doctor usually poisons the timestrean with a paradox," Zoe said, "Like in this one episode, Rory, one of the companions, gets sent back in time so the Doctor, River (Rory's kid), and Amy (Rory's wife) go back in time and Amy finds this old Rory who promptly dies soon after. Now there are a bunch of angels in New York, like they have literally taken over the city, so to kill them, Amy finds young Rory and both of them jump off a building, and since-"

"Rory died of old age rather than suicide, it creates a paradox," Dean finished.

"Zoe nodded, "Yup. You could also try quantum locking them. Basically have the angels facing each other so they are unable to move. The Doctor did it once when they tried to take the TARDIS. They're really terrifying and if you look at an image of one in the eye, you turn into one too."

"Huh," Dean said, "Can't we just blow them up?"

Zoe shook her head, "They're tough. Not even heavy artillery works against them. And there's the Vashta Nerada."

Dean raised an eyebrow at the name, "What is that? Some sort of band?"

"Well according to a superwho theory they're demons," Zoe said, "or this creature who lives in the shadows and you can only see it's shadow. Anyway, basically they are like piranhas. The Doctor once threw a chicken leg at it and it was bone before it hit the ground. They like to latch on to a food source so always count your shadows."

"Anything else?"

Yes Dean was curious. So sue him.

"The silence," Zoe said, "They're like these alien things that have been shaping humanity for a long time, and if you see one you won't remember because when you look away you forget about encountering them. Doctor defeated them by using suggestive thought sorta. Basically if you come across one of the silence. You kill it, but you won't remember doing so."

"Well that's...reassuring," Dean said, vaguely wondering if he's ever come across one of the things."

"And then there's the Daleks," Zoe said, "Who are talking trash cans with extermination beams."

"Well that doesn't sound so bad," Dean said.

"They were a huge part of the Time War and basically are partly to blame for Gallifrey's destruction."

And so Zoe spent the better part of her evening explaining Doctor Who to Dean Winchester while Sam tried to pretend he wasn't listening.

…

The next day, Zoe woke to an empty motel room along with a note and lunch from the boys explaining to her that they received another call and would be home by noon. Well. In that case, the teenager turned on Sam's laptop and began to surf the internet, while searching through her mental files of supernatural.

"Dracula...Dracula...Dracula," she muttered, "Fake vamp...fake everything...yes...fake everything...someone who wants to pass off as a vamp and only has old monster movies...monster movie."

She stopped. That was it. Monster Movie. Episode five. She frowned. Something was behind it. A creature. Not a vamp. Not a werewolf...what was it?

Zoe took out her phone and dialed Sam's number.

"Yeah?" Sam greeted.

"Sammich," Zoe said, "Definitely an episode. It's something pretending to be a vampire and a werewolf. I think a mummy is next."

"A mummy," Sam repeated.

"Yup," she said, "It's the same thing, but I can't remember who's behind it."

"You think we're dealing with a shape shifter?"

Zoe nodded, "Well they're the only shape shifting creatures that are out there right now, and Leviathans don't come out until season seven."

" _Leviathans?"_

"You live," she assured, "Anyway Shape Shifter. Don't know who it is, but it's definitely behind all of it."

"Anything else?"

She thought for a moment, "Bring me _real_ Mexican food. I won't eat the fake stuff."

"How about I bring you drive thru fried chicken?" Sam suggested.

"Buy hot sauce," Zoe said.

"Anything else?"

"Nope," she said.

"Alright. See you when we get back."

"Bye Sammy!"

She ended the call and placed her phone beside her. What to watch. What to watch,

She was bored again, and there was nothing fun to do. True she could go to Oktoberfest, but that would involve going _outside_ and Zoe didn't feel like dealing with the outside. No she wanted to stay in doors and watch something that wasn't Doctor Sexy re-runs. She'd already seen that episode anyway.

So she liked the show. So what? She needed _some_ sort of show to obsess over if she was going to survive in this show with her fangirling still intact.

"Wonder if Gabriel's busy," she wondered aloud.

The archangel didn't show which meant that he was, in fact, very busy. Probably giving people a taste of their own medicine as usual. Zoe wondered how she was going to deal with Changing Channels, assuming she survived that long, but then again, she had an archangel for a guardian angel so her chances of survival sky rocketed.

When the Winchesters finally did arrive, they confirmed that yes, it was not a werewolf and that she was right. They also came bearing food which Zoe wolfed down while the boys tried to figure out what was going on.

"So a shape shifter," Sam said, "Any idea who it is?"

Zoe shrugged, "I saw this episode only once out of curiosity. All I remember this was the black and white episode because it was made in the style of old movies. The shape shifter liked old movies."

"So he _is_ acting out his own movie," Dean said.

"Yup."

…

Sometime during the night, when Zoe couldn't sleep (courtesy of a coffee she had bought half an hour ago, the boys got a call of a murder at the Museum. And Zoe wanted to go.

"No," Dean said as he adjusted his tie.

"Pleeeaaaaassseeeeee?" Zoe whined, "I'll be good I swear. I'll even stay in the impala."

"No."

Zoe pouted and turned her eyes to Sam who simply did not want to be pulled into this conversation. He glanced at Dean.

"Sssaaaaaaammmmm," she pleaded, "Please?"

"Uhm..." Sam looked at Dean for any sign of what he should do.

"I'm booorrreeeeddddd!" she added, "I'll probably even draw a smiley face on the wall and shoot it."

Sam looked alarmingly at Zoe and then at his brother, who still refused to allow the teenager with them.

"Dean," Sam began, and Zoe grinned.

"What?" Dean asked, "The kid is not coming with us. No matter what she says."

Zoe widened her eyes slightly as she turned to Dean and he held up his hand, "No. Do not use those on me."

"I'll stop if you let me come with you," Zoe bargained.

Dean still wasn't budging, "No."

Zoe turned the puppy eyes at Sam, who quickly looked away, so she crawled over to him and placed her chin on his shoulder.

"Saaammyyyyy," she whined.

Sam looked at his brother who raised an eyebrow in disbelief, before he growled in defeat, "Fine, but you stay in the car."

Zoe grinned and fist pumped, before pulling on her shoes and jacket, and followed the boys to the car, practically skipping with excitement. Perhaps out of spite, and judging by Sam's face it probably was, Dean left the window down, "So she won't get hot."

And about half an hour later, Dean hurried towards the car, and made her get out, saying she could catch a ride with Sam before he drove off. Well then. Since Dean _clearly_ didn't want her around while he saved Jamie from the vamp, Zoe wandered into the building, only to be held back by the police officers.

"I'm just waiting for someone," she assured, and leaned against the wall.

Sam poked his head out from the crime scene, and Zoe waved, giving him a thumbs up and, once assured that she was fine, he turned his attention back to the crime scene. She sighed. It was one thing to wait in the Impala; it was another to wait in the lobby of a museum because someone kicked you out of said Impala. So like any normal teenage girl with a phone and a tumblr, Zoe turned to fanfiction, and almost didn't hear Sam stand in front of her.

"Dean says he found the shifter," he said as he called for a taxi.

"Did he kill it?" Zoe asked.

"It escaped before he could get a clear shot," Sam said.

Dean probably tried having a conversation with the thing, trying to get it into a monologue. Zoe frowned, wondering if the universe just had to follow TV canon. It certainly seemed that way at times.

The taxi arrived shortly after and headed towards the Oktoberfest bar. Neither spoke, Sam out of habit, and Zoe because she was using Sam's arm as a pillow.

They found Dean with the bar waitress from earlier, who seemed pretty shaken up since last Zoe saw her.

"Hey," he said once he approached them, "You guys all right?"

"Yeah, I think so," Dean said, and turned to Zoe, "You were right. It was a shape shifter."

"Did you kill him?" Sam asked.

At this, Dean's face turned to one of anger, "Son of a bitch got away before I could get a clear shot, but I clipped him, and I got this."

He tossed forward a folded up towel, which Sam took and opened to show an ear. Zoe wrinkled her nose in disgust and quickly looked away from the ear.

"Skin of a shape shifter," Dean confirmed, "Just like St. Louis and just like Milwaukee. Of course this one's all holding buckets of crazy. Oh, and, uh..." he dug through his pocket and showed a medallion, "This, I uh, pulled it off during the fight. Look at the label on the ribbon."

Zoe stood on her toes to see the label. "The FX shop prop house. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania," she read.

Sam oh so brilliantly deduced,"It's a costume rental."

"All three monsters the Dracula, Wolf Man, and the mummy," he listed, "all the same critter, which means we need to catch this freak before he Creature From the Black Lagoons somebody."

Zoe mentally victory danced at having correctly remembered the creature they were dealing with. Finally.

Jamie, however, was still confused, "So, you guys are like Mulder and Scully or something and The X-Files are real?"

"Nah," Zoe said, "The X-Files is a TV show. This is real…unfortunately."

"Oh."

Well, she seemed to be taking it well. Most people in her situation would have called them crazy or threatened to call the police. Zoe silently thanked Jamie for not acting like her predecessors.

"Okay, so, the stagecraft, the costuming," Sam paused for a moment to think, "it's like he's trying to re-enact his favorite monster movie moments, right down to the bloody murders."

"Wait a second," Jamie said, "Who the hell is Mina?"

"Mina?" Sam frowned.

"That's what he called Jamie," Dean explained, "And he called me Mr. Harker."

"Jonathan Harker!" Zoe explained, though Sam was the only one who got it. At Dean and Jamie's confused looks, she continued, "They're characters from the old Dracula movies. Originally from Bram Stoker's _Dracula._ Mina," she waved a hand in Jamie's direction, "Dracula's intended bride/love interest because plot reasons, and J. Harker is the fiance that stands in the way. He works with Van Helsing to kill Dracula. Sam, I think that makes you Van Helsing!" She frowned, "So what does that make me?"

"Renfield," Sam said smirking.

Zoe stuck her tongue at him.

Jamie wasn't amused. "Wow. Lucky me," she sarcastically replied.

"But to fixate on you," the smarter of the Winchesters added, "my guess is that the shifter has to have seen you before or been around you."

"Jamie," Dean turned to the elder woman, "has anybody strange come to town, somebody that has taken a specific notice of you?"

"I don't know, Dean," Jamie admitted, "It's Oktoberfest. I'm a bartender. There's lots of people. I... wait a second. There is Ed."

"It's not Ed," Zoe said, causing Sam and Dean to turn their attention to her, "Trust me. Sam tried ripping his ear off and fails. It's Lucy."

"Lucy?" The boys asked.

"My friend," Jamie said frowning, "She's another bartender but why would _she_ be behind this?"

"Honestly," Zoe shrugged, "It's like the Phantom of the Opera. The misunderstood monster is taken by the beautiful young girl, but a handsome man is his competition so he attempts to gain her favor and kidnaps her later on."

Dean frowned, "Meaning?"

"Jamie is Christine," Zoe said, "You're Raoul. Sam is the Persian and I'm Darius."

She grinned, happy to have found a good role.

"Where does Lucy live?" Sam asked.

…

Both Zoe and Sam left for Lucy's house, after stocking up on silver bullets and leaving the affectionately dubbed lovebirds at the bar.

"You remember how to shoot?" Sam asked as they pulled up to Lucy's home.

The teenager nodded and followed Sam out of the car.

It was rather exciting, if Zoe had to be honest with herself. A part of her was terrified, but another was excited at the prospect of hunting one of the bigger more popular monsters. Though Zoe favored demons, shifters came at a close second.

And so with adrenaline pumping through her veins, Zoe stuck close to Sam, watching him with growing curiosity as he picked the lock and sneacked inside. Sam motioned for her to check the rooms, but neither found the shifter in either. What they did find was what seemed to be a bed straight out of an old movie, as well as the portrait of a woman.

"That's Lucy," Sam said, and Zoe nodded.

"The third bride," Zoe said, and then she frowned, "Could've sworn she'd be here. Unless..."

"Unless?" Sam prompted.

Zoe cursed and slapped her forehead, "Merlin's pants. She's at the bar...with Dean and Jamie...fudge."

"What?" Sam demanded, "Zoe, what is it?"

The teenager began cursing in English and Spanish, "She's at the bar. That's how we find out she's actually Lucy. I'm so stupid."

"So we go back to the bar," Sam assured.

Zoe shook her head, "The Shifter brings them here. Dean to a dungeon, I'm guessing it's basement...don't ask," she added at Sam's look, "And takes Jamie to a bedroom. So we wait for them here, and take down the guy when he comes."

They hid well in the house, behind a couch after assuring the other that they would not be seen unless someone is purposefully looking for them. They heard the Shifter arrive and for a moment, Zoe realized just how dangerous the situation was. Here was a creature who could change itself into a werewolf and have the strength to destroy a person without trying. And only a silver bullet to the heart could kill it.

Perfect.

It grunted as it dragged two unconscious people into the house. When Zoe dared peek, she saw Jamie slung over the shifter's shoulder while Dean was dragged. Either the shifter didn't care for subtlety or it's neighbors just didn't care that he dragged two unconscious people into it's home.

When the Shifter left Dean on the floor to tend to Jamie in a separate room, the youngest Winchester began to move, checking his brother for life. He sighed in relief when he found Dean was merely sleeping.

"What-?"

Zoe froze, and she dared turn to see a Dracula staring at her in shock, surprisingly, the shifter resembled Bela Lugosi.

The Shifter lunged forward with a growl and Sam fired, emptying three bullets into the shifter's chest before it fell dead to the ground. Zoe calmed her breathing, and went to check on Jamie while Sam attempted to wake his brother.

The bar waitress frowned in confusion when she woke, especially when she saw Zoe non-chalantly sitting on a chair while the Winchesters made sure the other was safe while debriefing the other on what happened.

…

The next day, they stopped at the town square to say good bye to Jamie...well, for Dean to kiss Jamie goodbye. Zoe aww-ed at the sight from where she stood with an awkward looking Sam Winchester.

'Well, thank you, G-Man," Jamie said softly, "You have been a great service to your country.

"Oh, yes, I'm very, very patriotic," Dean replied with a smile, and glanced at Sam who was eager to leave. Dean turned back to Jamie, "Bye."

The blonde smiled softly, "Bye."

"You guys saved my life, you know?" Jamie added rather awkwardly, "So, thanks."

Zoe gave her a two finger salute before the older woman left.

"I like her," she said, once she was out of sight.

"Feels good to be back on the job, doesn't it?" Dean said.

"Yeah, it does," Sam said.

Zoe snorted, "You were unconscious half the time. Sam and I had to save your sorry ass."

Dean closed his mouth and glared at Zoe, "What's that supposed to mean, pipsqueak?"

Zoe grinned, "I mean that Dracula drugged you and carried you around like a doll."

"Sammy control your kid," Dean said to his brother.

Sam didn't spare them a glance and said, "Zoe leave Dean alone."

"I call shotgun!" Zoe called as they approached the impala.

Dean immediately said "No."

"Yes."

"No."

"SAM! Your brother won't let me ride shotgun!"


End file.
